


All Things End: Volume I

by Couragefan09



Series: The All Things End Series [1]
Category: Courage the Cowardly Dog
Genre: Character Development, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2017-11-20 03:58:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 69
Words: 198,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Couragefan09/pseuds/Couragefan09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Upon finding out that he's going to be put down because of an illness, Courage embarks on a strange journey that just might save his life. Computer gets dragged along for the ride as he is the only one who can help save him and thus takes control of the body of another dog. If they can ever stop bickering long enough, they may eventually become friends on their journey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Until The End Comes

**Author's Note:**

> So, here's the rundown. I've been working on this for going on six years now. It was originally going to be only one story but I felt it was getting too big and so I split it up into two volumes. I've improved considerably over the years I've been writing this and a good portion of the first half of Volume I isn't really up to snuff. I've been rewriting and editing a lot of chapters but because of how big this story is it's been slow going. Originally I wasn't planning on uploading all of the chapters onto this site until I had the majority of Volume I edited, but because it is taking so long, I've decided to just start uploading them and fixing them as I edit chapters. For that reason, there may be some chapters that you will notice a dip in writing quality. As it stands right now, I will slowly be adding chapters on here until I'm caught up. If you can't wait, the entirety of Volume I and the most recent chapters of Volume II can be found on both FanFiction.Net and DeviantArt.

All Things End

 

By: Couragefan09

 

Chapter One: Until The End Comes

 

Courage whined softy as he trudged up the creaky staircase onto the second floor of the house. An air of depression hung over him, which was fairly unusual for the tiny dog. His ears were drooped like a puppy who had just been scolded and he kept himself on all fours as he could not will himself to walk upright in his current state. He needed answers and he knew that there was only one person who could give him those answers.

 

He whined again. Ever since that visit to the veterinarian three days ago, Muriel had been acting strangely. She'd been avoiding him and wouldn't even talk to him whenever he tried to cheer her up. He'd been completely devastated when she wouldn't let him lay on her lap anymore and she always seemed like she was on the verge of crying now. Even Eustace seemed a bit off lately as the cranky old farmer wasn't calling him a stupid dog anymore.

 

He pushed the attic door open and went over to the desk where his computer sat. He pulled himself up into the chair and felt his stomach lurch at how much effort it had taken him just to get up there. For months now he had been lacking the energy to do much of anything anymore. It was one of the many things that had left him worried ever since the veterinarian visit.

 

He flicked the switch on the side of the computer and waited. He was expecting the usual sort of greeting from the machine and he was not looking forward to it. Sighing listlessly, he allowed himself to sink deeper into the wooden chair, both out of fear and anticipation.

 

The screen of the computer flickered to life, displaying a bluish-green backdrop. There was a moments pause before an exaggerated sigh, originating from the machine's speakers, echoed through the empty attic.

 

"What is it now, you twit?" A bored voice asked, clearly coming from the computer. It spoke with an intelligent, if somewhat rude tone, and while it's voice was male, it was tinged with a slightly metallic tone that gave away the fact that it was not a real person talking.

 

Courage let his paws rest on the keyboard, unsure of where to begin. He was afraid that he wouldn't make sense if he rushed and the last thing he needed right now was Computer complaining about that too. He weakly sighed and tried to pull his thoughts together. He wasn't looking forward to this by any stretch of the imagination.

 

"Well?" The machine impatiently asked. It's words typed out across the screen as it talked.

 

Courage was used to 'his' usual antics, but this time he didn't bother acknowledging his impatience like he normally did. Under normal circumstances, they argued, a _lot_. Computer always seemed to have _something_ to be annoyed about and Courage always hated listening to him complain. They almost always fought and Computer _always_ won.

 

He began typing, slowly, to make sure that he was spelling out as many of his words as correctly as possible. His writing skills were not the best. He could read just fine, but he found typing and writing to be very difficult, especially when he were in a panic, which was almost every time he was using his computer. He wasn't very good at speaking English either. Whenever he panicked, his language usually turned into a gibbering mess of broken English and dog speak. Computer himself had gotten pretty good at understanding his gibberish, but he never missed an opportunity to mock him about it.

 

 _'Something's been wrong with me lately.'_ He typed, hesitating for a moment. Computer did not respond to the statement so he continued. ' _Something inside of me hurts. It starts in my chest and then it spreads out all over. The pain eventually gets so bad that I can barely move and I usually black out afterwords. When I wake up, I feel weak and tired and it takes hours to get better. It wasn't so bad at first because it would only happen every once in awhile, but now it happens all the time, sometimes even twice a day. I'm tired all the time now too.'_ He stopped.

 

He left his fingers trembling on the keys. He was terrified at what could possibly be happening to him. Those mysterious seizure like pains had always frightened him but now they were getting worse and he couldn't do anything to stop them. He couldn't forget about how strange Muriel and Eustace were acting either. When this had first started, he had tried to act normal around them, but they had noticed anyway. Heck, he once even tried to hide himself in a closet when he felt an 'attack' coming on, but they had found him in the middle of the seizure anyway. They had taken him to the vet to get him checked out and now they were suddenly acting like he didn't exist at all. He was starting to wonder if he had done something wrong to make them treat him like this, but he couldn't help it if he were sick.

 

 _'I could barely even get up here without needing to take a break.'_ He continued. _'Muriel noticed how tired I've been and took me to see the vet. He looked me over and they talked about something, I wasn't really sure what. Muriel's been avoiding me ever since and she seems so sad now. I don't want to make her sad, but I'm not really sure what I did wrong.'_ He added that last part solely out of the fear that maybe he really _had_ done something wrong. He knew that it sounded pathetic, especially to someone like Computer, but he couldn't help it.

 

There was a long bout of silence as his rude companion did his job. The words he had typed out still lingered on the screen. He stared intently into them, hoping that maybe he could finally get the answers he was searching for. He couldn't help but worry, it wasn't like Computer to remain this quiet.

 

Just as he was about to ask what was taking so long, the machine uttered out a small, "Oh, dear."

 

"What?" He asked out loud, not bothering to type it in this time. His heart lurched with dread.

 

"Well, from the sound of it, it looks like you have a very rare and very serious condition. It's only found in dogs and it's-" The machine hesitated.

 

"What?" Courage asked again, dreading whatever was about to be said. "I-Is it bad?"

 

"Well, to tell you the truth, there is no cure. The condition is...always fatal." There was a slight hint of awe in that cynical machine's voice.

 

"W-What?" Courage gasped. His mind shut down completely. The true implications of what he had been told didn't hit him until several seconds later.

 

Always fatal? He was going to...to die? How could that be? How could he be sick enough to die? He wasn't supposed to die! Not before Muriel!

 

"That can't be right! I-it can't be!" He gasped out. His entire body was shivering of its own accord. Fear washed over him as his own mortality became apparent. He was going to die....

 

Computer continued, ignoring his fearful trembling. "There is a treatment for the illness, but it really only delays the inevitable. It helps with the symptoms, but it only keeps a dog affected by the illness alive for about an extra year or so, and that is only under the best of circumstances. It's very expensive too, nothing an old, retired couple would be able to afford."

 

Courage was shaking with terror. Disbelief wracked his brain. Could nothing really save him? He began to type again in a frenzy, _'But Eustace is always stashing money away! He can't be that heartless! Why won't he help me!'_

 

"Calm down, twit!" The machine replied. He were speaking as though this were business as usual and it only helped to infuriate Courage even further.

 

 _'How can you tell me to calm down? I'm about to die! Now isn't the time to be calm!'_ He furiously typed in. He was sure that he had missed a couple of keys but he was shaking so hard that it didn't matter either way.

 

"Because you're mowing in my keys, idiot!" Computer angrily replied. "Look, dog. Nothing that farmer is hoarding would be enough to help you. When I say expensive, I mean that you could buy a mansion with that kind of money. The treatment is only for quality bred dogs with exceptionally wealthy owners, and even then they're still doomed in the end."

 

Courage whined, unsure of what to do. He place a paw onto his chest and wondered when the next attack would occur. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to die from that sort of pain. He whined again as panic began to build up inside of him. It was more powerful than ever and he didn't know what to do about it. He wanted to run, scream, cry, but none of that would help him in the end.

 

"I feel for you, dog, I really do, but there isn't much that can be done. Muriel must be avoiding you because she knows that she can't help you."

 

Silence filled the gloomy attic. Neither machine nor dog knew what else to say. Courage squeezed his eyes shut. So many emotions rolled through him and he couldn't stop even one of them. If only he could-

 

Wait...

 

He perked up, realizing that he had forgotten something when he had told Computer about his illness. He began to type again with renewed vigor. _'While I was at the vet, he said something about putting me to sleep. I'm not really sure what that is, but does it mean he's going to put me to sleep and try to perform surgery on me? Maybe he's going to try and fix me!'_ He smiled at that thought. Maybe he could be saved after all!

 

“Oh, dear, well.” Computer spoke. He seemed to be at a loss for words. Once again he had slipped out of his business as usual tone for only just a moment. He hesitated, acting as though it were better to leave whatever he was about to say left unsaid. "Don't you know what being 'put to sleep' means?" He asked, choosing his words very carefully.

 

Courage shook his head. The hesitation in the machine's voice made his stomach lurch with fear yet again. "Is it something bad?" He asked rather weakly.

 

The machine sighed, obviously not wanting to deal with this. He waited for a moment and then began to speak once more. "I won't lie to you, it's best you know. Putting you to sleep is the kid friendly term for putting you down. They're going to kill you."

 

Courage's jaw hit the floor.

 

"It's a mercy killing, of course. It's so that you won't suffer needlessly, especially in the late stages of the disease. It will be painless, unlike waiting."

 

Courage remained silent, he didn't even blink. His mind couldn't wrap around the fact that Muriel was going to let some awful vet put him down. She had him scheduled to go back next Friday. Were they planning on doing it then? Had he not gone to Computer, he would have never even known that it was coming. He felt...betrayed.

 

"You still in there, twit?" Computer asked, pulling him out of this thoughts.

 

He shook his head in disbelief. "H-How could Muriel do this to me? I-I-"

 

Tears began to fill his eyes. He was angry, sad, scared, and confused all at the same time. He felt as though Muriel had intentionally betrayed him to this fate on purpose. He choked back a sob as several of his tears fell freely onto the keyboard beneath him.

 

"She just wants what's best for you. She wouldn't want you to suffer in the end." Computer said. He was trying to comfort him, at least as best as any cynical machine could try, but it wasn't working....

 

"How can she let some stupid vet kill me?" Courage cried out. His voice began to rise with fear. “Doesn't she care about me more then that? I-I don't want to die!" He started to sob.

 

"Would you rather suffer in the end? I'm sure it's painless. Why do you think they call it 'putting to sleep'? Surely that's preferable to wasting away, painfully, I might add."

 

"I don't want to die!” He sobbed. “I want to live! I want things to go back to the way they used to be!"

 

"Twit-" Computer tried to interject. His tone was growing annoyed.

 

"Why? Why did I have to get sick? I just want to nap in Muriel's lap again! I want her to talk to me like she used to! I want to be able to do things without having to worry about having an attack! I want to have my energy back! I-I-"

 

"Come on, dog. Don't be so-"

 

"I even want Eustace to scare me again! I just want things to go back to the way they used to be!"

 

It was almost too awful to think about. He'd never spend another day enjoying life with Muriel. He'd never spend another lazy afternoon snoozing on her lap. Everything he loved about life, he'd lose in death. He'd never see her or Eustace ever again, he'd never save them from monsters again, he'd never sample new recipes that Muriel was developing, he'd never help her with the laundry, cleaning up, cooking, washing, planting. The list went on and on and it only frightened him even more. He couldn't bear the thought of losing the only thing he had ever known. He wasn't supposed to die before them!

 

"Twit, seriously-" Computer spoke again, still trying to get the panicking dog's attention. It was a minor miracle that all the sobbing hadn't been heard by Muriel or Eustace downstairs yet.

 

"I-I don't want to die! I don't want to leave Muriel! Why did this have to happen to me?" He buried his face into his paws and sobbed.

 

"ENOUGH!" Computer finally yelled, cranking his speakers up to full blast. Having never raised his voice in Courage's presence before, it shut the pink dog up instantly.

 

"Throwing yourself into a panic isn't going to help anyone or anything! Pull yourself together!"

 

Courage sniffed and nodded. He began wiping tears from his eyes, feeling slightly foolish over his breakdown. He was still very much afraid, but he knew that he shouldn't have panicked like that.

 

He was still shaking several minutes later. He couldn't calm down knowing what was coming. His chest had begun to burn and he knew that if Computer hadn't stopped him, he probably would have thrown himself into another attack by accident.

 

 _'What should I do?'_ He finally typed.

 

"I honestly don't know what to tell you, but at least you've calmed down." The machine replied, sounding as if he were at a loss himself. Courage couldn't even remember the last time he hadn't gotten an answer from him.

 

 _'I-'_ He began to type, stopping on the first letter. He reconsidered what he was going to say and let his shaking paws rest on the keyboard.

 

"What is it, dog?" Computer asked, sounding weary.

 

He sighed and then typed, _'I know it's a stupid thing to say but, I'm scared.'_

 

There was a slight chuckle from the machine. "Anybody in your predicament would be. Believe it or not, I do understand."

 

 _'I don't want some awful vet to stick a needle in me and never wake up again. I-'_ He stopped again. He could not hold back his tears anymore and let them fall freely. The machine said not a word as he sobbed and that allowed him to get all his emotions out in one fell swoop. It took several minutes before he could compose himself again and he was grateful that Computer hadn't mocked him during that time. He was just glad that he were listening, even if he didn't care.

 

He began to type again. _'_ _I-I also don't want to waste away until my sickness finally does me in either. I-I'm scared of what's going to happen.'_

 

The machine sighed yet again. "I don't want to get your hopes up, but I believe I might have an idea."

 

"R-Really?" He asked out loud. A small pang of hope entered his gut. Maybe Computer would have the answer he needed after all.

 

"Yes, but like I said, I don't want to get your hopes up. I plan to look into some kind of supernatural solution to this little conundrum. Things like legendary objects or places that can heal the terminally ill. It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack though. Most of them will be just that, legends, or the place, object, or whatever else it could be might have already lost it's ability to heal, or it could have been a hoax all along. This isn't even including the fact that it might be halfway across the world or that there might be some complex ritual just to make it work."

 

"B-but you will look, won't you?"

 

"Of course, but please don't stake all of your hope on something like this. I can't guarantee that anything will pan out, and I honestly don't want to make things worse in the end. I'm afraid that solutions to living problems are rarely found in supernatural ones." He sounded exhausted at the thought of it all and even a bit worried.

 

"We only have until Friday though." Courage added. "Muriel is taking me back to the vet on that date. I-I think they're planning on d-doing 'it' then."

 

"Friday, huh? No pressure." Computer sarcastically remarked. "Alright, I'll begin searching then. Please leave me now so that I can work in peace." He had gone back to that business as usual tone.

 

Courage nodded in agreement. He was just about to leave before deciding to type one last thing into the keyboard.

 

_'Thank you'_

 

There was no response from the sarcastic machine.

 

Sighing, he picked himself up and dropped out of the chair. He was about halfway across the attic when Computer did indeed speak, causing him jump with surprise.

 

"You don't deserve this, you know." He said, speaking as though he needed to get this off his chest, or, well, whatever the computer equivalent of a chest might be. "I'm sorry that I can't be much help. Even if I don't find a way to cure you, I'll still do everything in my power to help you out anyway. I can promise you that much." He then let out a sigh. “Well, at least until the end comes.”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	2. Absence Of Normalcy

Chapter 2: An Absence Of Normalcy

 

Just as he had suspected would happen, the trip downstairs had sapped Courage of what little energy he had left. He may have managed to avoid an attack, but he still felt just as tired. Muriel and Eustace were in living room, watching TV as they always did. Muriel would be cooking dinner soon and after that she would do a bit of housework, then they'd go back to watching TV until it was finally time for bed.

 

Being faced with his own morality, Courage was beginning to notice the odd sort of peace his small family had. Sure, it was often broken up by monster attacks or Eustace's usual greedy antics, but it was still a wonderful and very quiet life. He had really taken it for granted all these years. He'd honestly thought, at least in the back of his head, that this would go on forever. He loved his simple life, with his simple family, on their simple farm. Bad things did happen, sure, but he was willing to put up with it at the cost of having a life like this. Even the fact that they were living in the literal middle of nowhere wasn't so bad to him anymore. He really was going to miss it.

 

He moved across the room, completely ignored by his owners. He laid down next to Muriel's chair and sighed. She still wasn't noticing him, but he was glad to get some rest right beside her anyway. He didn't have the energy to worry right now and he didn't want to think about the things he had learned either. He let out another wistful sigh and buried his muzzle deeper into his paws.

 

“Oh, Courage. I didn't see you come down.” Muriel spoke, causing him to jump.

 

It had been days since she had last spoke directly to him like that. He gazed up at her and gave her a quizzical look.

 

“It's nearly six, let's go make supper.” She said, patting him on his head.

 

It left him completely stunned. She was actually talking to him again? Maybe he looked so miserable now that she couldn't bear to ignore him anymore. Part of him wanted to rest but the other part of him was desperate to try and prove to her that he was still the proper, 'not sick', Courage that he was.

 

Stifling a whimper, he followed her into the kitchen. His entire body shook with the effort. It left him cringing at his inability to function properly. How could he possibly act normal around Muriel when his entire body rebelled against his efforts?

 

“Courage?” She called out to him.

 

His weakness must have been obvious because she was gazing worriedly down at him. He gave her a meek grin that spoke the words, 'I'm alright!', but he really wasn't, at least not on the inside.

 

He clamored up onto a chair and watched as Muriel set things up for dinner. She keep glancing over at him with a worried expression and he did his absolute best to wag his tail and smile at her whenever she did. He didn't want to worry her and that was the best he could do in his current predicament.

 

As he watched Muriel, he began to realize that there was even more evidence of his impending fate. She had been consistently making him his favorite foods almost every night since the veterinarian visit. Tonight she was serving up his favorite kind of dumplings with those 'happy plums' as dessert. He almost couldn't will himself to eat once he realized what was going on. His stomach lurched with anxiety as Muriel finished her cooking and set the table. He wanted to excuse himself from the kitchen but the worried look she kept giving him left him with no choice but to stay and eat.

 

Things only managed to get even worse when Eustace joined them. He didn't yell at him for sitting at the table, or even for sitting in his spot. That was something that would have normally earned him a shove off the chair, or worse.

 

They all ate in silence. Eustace was so buried in his newspaper that he often missed his bowl completely as he brought his spoon down into it. Muriel was refusing to look up from her own bowl too. The eerie silence was so painful that it only made Courage's stomach lurch even harder as he ate. He wished that he could be anywhere but there right now, but he knew that he would only worry Muriel even more if he left. He was so desperate for some kind of normalcy that he actually gave Eustace a pitiful look and got up out of the chair, taking his food with him. He dumped his dish into his dog bowl and looked back up, half expecting Eustace to move back into his usual spot. The old farmer did nothing, he simply kept ignoring everything around him. He flipped through another page of his newspaper and missed his bowl for what seemed like the millionth time. Courage could have ripped his ears out in frustration.

 

The food didn't sit well with him after that. Things were so uncanny and so unnatural that it only made him feel even worse when he tried to make them right. He wished more than anything that his life could just go back to normal. Why did he have to get sick? Sighing pitifully, he left the kitchen. He couldn't bear to sit through another second of that terrible silence. He jumped into Muriel's chair, curled up, and finally managed to get that nap he needed.

 

Muriel did the dishes while Eustace flipped through the channels on the TV. Courage heard the old man grumble a couple of times, enough to wake him up out of his sleep, but the farmer did nothing else and he certainly didn't notice or even care about the dog laying in his wife's chair. It was like Courage did not exist at all and it took a lot of effort for him to not be bothered by it or to be able to just go back to sleep.

 

He wasn't sure how long he managed to rest but he was soon woken up by Muriel gently shaking him. He sat up, blinked, and let out a loud yawn. He assumed that she wanted her spot back so he got up to jump down, but she instead picked him.

 

“Would you like to help me with the laundry, Courage?” She asked, smiling at him.

 

“Mmhmm!” He replied, nodding with enthusiasm.

 

The truth was that he was dreading another long walk down a staircase, but he was willing to put up with it, if only for Muriel. He was going to try and not act sick. This was the perfect time for him to prove to her that he really was alright. Despite his fear, he let his tail wag with joy. He was just happy that Muriel wasn't ignoring him anymore.

 

Unfortunately, his joy was quickly diffused by the sheer effort that it took to follow her down into the basement. It ended up being just as bad as he had feared. The pain and exhaustion he experienced was nigh unbearable. He was panting by the time he made it down the staircase, weakly clutching at his chest. So much for trying to not act sick! It was a good thing that Muriel was too busy with her load of laundry to notice him gasping for air.

 

He sat down on the bottom step and watched as Muriel switched the laundry over. This was something that was normal for a change, something that he had always done for as long as he could remember. He had always followed Muriel down into the basement, even when this place had always scared him as a puppy. He couldn't help but wonder if he would eventually get too sick to follow her around like this and he shuddered at the thought of it.

 

Muriel almost seemed to sense his worried thoughts. She turned and began to talk to him as she folded up a few clothes. “Courage, you're a wonder you are. Remember when we first met? You were just a wee puppy, lost and all alone. I'm sure you missed your parents very much. I hope that I've always been a good substitute for them.” She sounded so sad. He hated to think about all the pain he was causing her.

 

“Arrruuufuuu.” He replied in his dog speak, trying to reassure her with a pleasant smile. He could feel his eyes stinging with tears, but he forced them back because he didn't want her to see. He wished that he could thank her for everything she had done for him. He could have been left in that alleyway to rot and yet she had still taken him in.

 

And his parents....

 

That was another thing he was left to ponder over. His parents were still out there somewhere, supposedly still alive. Wherever they had been taken to in space, surely they were still alive out there. He had never gotten a chance to save them and now there was no way he could possibly do anything for them. He'd never see them again.

 

Muriel began humming that little tune she often used while working around the house. It was a song that Courage had listened to her sing for as long as he had lived on the farm. For a single moment, everything felt normal. Memories of all the happy times he had spent on the farm filled his mind. He couldn't help but wonder why this happy little life with Muriel and Eustace had to end.

 

He fought back even more tears now. He was scared to lose this all, to lose his own life, to lose everything he had ever known, to lose Muriel, to lose even his own parents. He hoped dearly that Computer would come through for him in the end. He hated to think about what would happen if he did not. The thought of Computer possibly telling him that he needed to give up and accept the inevitable left him shivering in terror.

 

“Alright, Courage. Time to take these upstairs.” Muriel cheerfully spoke. Her words managed to pull him out of his thoughts.

 

He nodded happily in reply, but cringed on the inside. He didn't know how he was going to make it up all those steps this time. He had to mentally prepare himself for the pain that he knew was coming, but even then it wasn't going to be enough. He wished that he could get it across to her that he wanted a ride up, but if he did he knew that it would be an acknowledgment of his illness.

 

As they walked over to the stairs, Muriel continued to speak, “All things have to come to an end, Courage. It's just a natural part of life. Even our happy little existence on this farm will one day come to an end. That doesn't mean it has to be a bad thing though. Nothing stays the same forever.”

 

Courage nodded. He felt even worse knowing why she was saying that, and it was hard to think that he might not have even known what was going on if he hadn't gone to Computer for help. He wanted to feel like Muriel had betrayed him, but he knew deep down that she was only doing what she felt was best for him. She wanted to make sure that he wouldn't have to suffer in the end, even if putting him down would hurt them all just as much as waiting would.

 

His vision had gone blurry again and he had to wipe his eyes when Muriel wasn't looking. All things end, huh? He wished it didn't have to be so.

 

“For now, let's just enjoy the time we have.” Muriel said. Her voice was growing sad and weary again, much to Courage's dismay.

 

Somehow he made it up the staircase, his chest burning with agony. He had to crawl up the last few steps and was left panting so loudly that half of Nowhere could probably hear him. He had given up trying to pretend that he was alright. He didn't want to worry Muriel, yes, but he just couldn't fight his own exhaustion anymore.

 

And then it happened.

 

It started out the way it always did, a tingling sensation in his chest growing worse and worse. Then came the shortness of breath. He began to gasp in a desperate attempt to get enough air into his lungs. He placed a paw up against his chest as the tingling grew into a horrible, stabbing pain. It felt like someone had jabbed a knife into him and was twisting it all around.

 

He let out a weak cry and toppled to the floor. Writhing in pain, he was barely getting enough air into his lungs to keep himself from passing out. He kept a single paw all but buried into his chest. It was almost as if he could claw the pain out if he tried hard enough.

 

Despite the vicious buzzing in his ears, he heard Muriel shout, “Oh, no! Eustace! It's happening to him again!”

 

He caught a glimpse of the old farmer running into the kitchen from the living room. He was forced to snap his eyes shut again as the pain overwhelmed him. He let out another cry of agony. He knew that they couldn't help him, but in the throes of an attack, the primal desire to escape his pain overwrote all other senses. For one horrible moment he almost wished a vet really would come in and stab a needle into his arm. He envisioned Muriel grabbing a butcher knife and stabbing him through the heart, finally ending his pain. He would have done anything to escape. Not even his fear of dying could overcome his desire to end the pain.

 

“Don't touch 'em! Doctor said it'll only make things worse!” He heard Eustace say to Muriel.

 

His vision began to grow a hazy red, not that he could keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds anyway. The pain was somehow getting even worse. He continued to writhe on the floor, crying out every time he finally managed to get some air into his lungs. His mind was growing foggy and the world around him was falling away. Finally, his vision went black and unconsciousness took him.

 

…..

 

It felt like hours had passed before he woke up again. Thankfully, it seemed that only a couple of minutes had really gone by. He could feel Muriel's warm arms wrapped around him and he opened his eyes, unsurprised to find that his vision was blurry and still unfocused, just like they always were after an attack. He could just barely make out the looks on Muriel and Eustace's faces.

 

“What can we do? He's hurting so badly.” Muriel asked. Her voice was filled with a mixture of fear and sorrow.

 

The old farmer scratched the back of his head in dismay. “We can't do anything for 'em. Doctor said so, didn't he? We just gotta wait till Friday, I guess.”

 

Muriel nearly dropped Courage in her outrage. “You want them to do it, don't you? How can you want them to do something like that to poor Courage! You're an evil man, you are!” She plopped the bleary eyed pup down onto the kitchen table in frustration. He whined softly up at her but she ignored him. He really didn't want them to fight...

 

She tried to choke out several more insults but instead broke down and began to sob. She opened her mouth to say something else, but nothing came out. Burying her face in her hands, she stormed out the backdoor.

 

Eustace outstretched a hand as if to stop her, but she was already gone. “That ain't it, Muriel. That ain't it at all.” He murmured.

 

Courage looked up at him. His mind was finally starting to clear up and he began to wonder what the old farmer might try to do next.

 

Eustace looked down at him and scowled. “Dumb dog! Why'd you have to go and get sick? Muriel ain't happy when you're not around!” He shook his head in anger and then glanced back over at the open door. “Muriel...” He murmured out a second time.

 

Without missing another beat, the old farmer took off out the door in search of his wife. Courage could not remember the last time Eustace had looked so worried about anything except losing money. Gathering what little strength he could manage, he decided to follow his owners.

 

Slowly and shakily, he made his way off the kitchen table and out into the night air. He could find neither of the old couple. Worried that something might have happened, he noticed that the door to the barn had been left slightly ajar. He headed over to it and braced himself for the worse.

 

Peering inside, he blinked with surprise at what he saw. Muriel was sitting on a haystack with a handkerchief pressed beneath her glasses and Eustace was standing beside her, saying something that Courage couldn't hear. They were both talking in an inaudible low whisper, but he was glad to see that they weren't fighting anymore.

 

Eustace sat down and they both talked for a very long time. Courage was finding it very hard not to topple over in exhaustion as he waited. He never thought that he'd see a day where just standing around would tire him out so much.

 

As their conversation went on, Muriel shook her head and said something that Courage still could not pick up. Eustace said something back to her, looking surprisingly concerned, and then a long silence followed. Eustace finally reached over and placed a hand onto hers, gently smiling as if to reassure her of something. She smiled back with a renewed vigor that Courage hadn't seen since before he had been taken to the vet. Then, something happened that he had not seen once in all the time he had lived on the farm. Eustace pulled Muriel into a hug.

 

Courage had to pick his jaw up from off the ground. Never once had he seen that greedy, angry, old farmer show love for anything except his money. It left the poor dog flabbergasted and questioning if he really was awake. This couldn't be real, could it?

 

“That's why I married you, remember?” The old man clarified. His voice echoed through the barn, just loud enough for Courage to hear.

 

“I thought you had forgotten.” Muriel answered, her voice forlorn.

 

“Even if the dog does, well, you know, I promise I'll still be here for you. Well, so long as you keep makin' me dinner!”

 

“Dinner, huh? Now what would a grumpy old man like you do without me?” She laughed.

 

Courage turned away. He decided that it would be best to leave. He didn't want to see the old couple start kissing or something gross like that, and he also felt like he was intruding in on something that he had no right to be apart of. He was happy for the two of them but he was also facing the grim reality of what was going on. They were preparing for his permanent absence.

 

He whimpered softly to himself. Exhausted and lonely, he did not head back into the house but instead walked over to the front porch. He sat down and stared up at the stars, quietly wondering if his parents were looking down on him from up there.

 

Part of him desperately wanted to go visit Computer, just so that he wouldn't have to be alone right now. Unfortunately, he already knew that the machine wouldn't want him around. Computer didn't make for good company anyway, that much he knew all too well. He was also worried that the machine might already have an answer for him and he wasn't willing to deal with the shock of either outcome right now.

 

Frustrated, he buried his head into his paws. It was _his_ turn to cry now. He was alone in dealing with his own demise, and he hated every moment of it. Muriel and Eustace didn't understand and Computer most certainly wouldn't understand either. He was completely alone in facing the illness ravaging his body and he knew deep down that he'd probably be facing that needle all alone too...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	3. Steeped In Nightmares

Chapter 3: Steeped In Nightmares

 

The rest of the night went by like it always did. In fact, it almost had that air of normalcy Courage so dearly missed. Muriel let him nap on her lap again, Eustace read his newspaper, and they both ignored the fact that they had been fighting. Courage was just happy to have things back to normal, at least for now.

 

Eustace gave a loud yawn, signaling the end of their night. He set his newspaper down and turned the TV off. Muriel placed Courage onto the floor as she always did and wordless joined Eustace at the foot of the stairs.

 

Courage cringed as he gazed over at his owners. He couldn't bear the thought of going up those steps again, especially after his attack. He was so weak right now that he could hardly even walk, much less get up the staircase. Muriel apparently sensed his hesitation and moved forward to pick him up but he shrunk back as she drew nearer. He didn't want her to help him despite knowing that he'd never make it up there alone. It would be an admission of his weakness and he didn't want to acknowledge it. He knew that he couldn't get up those stairs without help, but he wasn't willing to admit that he needed the help either. It was absolutely infuriating and left him feeling completely helpless.

 

“Courage?” She asked, outstretching a hand towards him.

 

He drew in a breath and allowed her to pick him up. He surrendered to his exhaustion and hung limply in her arms. He couldn't fight it any longer. He just wanted to go to sleep and hopefully wake up feeling better tomorrow.

 

“Are you okay, Courage?” She asked as she walked them up the staircase.

 

He nodded weakly in reply, not bothering to open his eyes back up again. They were too heavy to lift anyway.

 

They entered the bedroom and she set him down on the bed. Eustace was already in the bathroom at this point so she sat there beside the exhausted dog. He was already half asleep and barely even noticed that she was there. He felt her place a hand on his head and he opened an eye to look up at her. He muttered out a few gibberish words and then closed it again.

 

“Good night, Courage.” She said. The weariness in her voice was apparent.

 

He drifted off to sleep several minutes later. He was vaguely aware of the sounds that Muriel and Eustace made as they got ready for bed, but nothing could pull him out of his exhausted sleep completely. Thirty minutes later, he snapped wide awake, his mind suddenly alert. He glanced around the room, confused at his sudden wakefulness, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Muriel and Eustace were still asleep and the night was as calm as ever. Not even the wind was making the wooden house creak.

 

He glanced over at his owners and watched as they slept. A sense of fear and foreboding made his heart race and kept him from relaxing. His mind wouldn't stop wandering back to his impending doom. He was absolutely exhausted and yet his mind refused to shut down despite it. What if he really couldn't be saved? What would Muriel do without him? Would Eustace replace him? Would they get another dog? Could the old couple really go on without him? What would it be like to die? What would it be like to be put down?

 

He shivered and whined softly to himself. He had a desperate urge to crawl in between the two pillows of the old couple, but he held himself back. It would be like he were a puppy all over again, hiding from the strange sounds that echoed through the house. No, he did not want to wake Muriel up, and crawling in between her and Eustace would certainly do just that.

 

He considered going to see Computer, but he knew that he didn't have the strength to walk across the hall and over to the attic either. If Computer wasn't ready for him, he'd be told to leave anyway. He didn't want to put that much effort into getting there when he knew that it was all going to be for nothing anyway. Computer wouldn't care if he was tired or not, and he certainly wouldn't tolerate his presence longer than he had to.

 

Sighing, he laid back down. He was never going to fall asleep if he kept worrying himself like this. He allowed his mind to focus on the rhythmic snoring of his owner and slowly but surely, he calmed down.

 

Suddenly, Muriel's voice woke him up.

 

“Courage? Courage! It's time to get up!”

 

She kept shaking him until he finally opened his eyes, groaning slightly and unsure of what was going on. This didn't seem right, she usually let him sleep as long as he needed to.

 

“Time to go to the doctor, Courage!” She told him in a cheerful voice.

 

It was so uncharacteristic of her after how she had reacted to his illness. He recoiled in shock. A pit formed within his stomach at this uncanny turn of events. She was smiling down at him with a surprising air of cruelty.

 

“B-but, I thought we weren't going back until Friday?” He asked, even though he knew that she wouldn't understand him.

 

“Here you go, you dumb dog!” Eustace spoke, appearing from somewhere behind him and clamping his purple leash around his neck.

 

“But, wait-” Courage pleaded. The proper words he wanted to say wouldn't come out. It was like his voice had gone away completely. His heart felt like it was about to explode from terror. What was going on here?

 

“Let's get this over with!” Muriel snapped. Her tone was becoming more and more nasty with every word she spoke.

 

Eustace began to yank at the leash. “Come on, you stupid dog! You ain't needed around here no more! Time to go take a nap...a long, long, nap!”

 

Courage dug his nails into the wooden floor and fought with every fiber of his being, but it was no use. He didn't want to die! Why were they doing this to him? Why did it have to end like this?

 

Eustace gave an mighty tug on the leash, and, despite Courage's best efforts, he was sent flying.

 

“NOOOOOOOO!” He screamed, struggling the whole way.

 

Somehow, the old couple managed to lift his flailing self all the way down the staircase, through the living room, and into the truck. He had tried to make an escape through the window, but Eustace caught him before he could get away.

 

“Don't be so difficult, Courage! It'll all be over soon!” Muriel sternly scolded him.

 

He was placed in his usual spot between Muriel and Eustace and whined desperately up at them as they both got ready to leave. They ignored his whines, much to his growing sorrow, and he could only watch in fear as the farm fell away from his view. This would be the last time he ever saw his home again...

 

He tried to go over several escape plans in his head, but he knew that none of them would work. Eustace would chase him no matter what he did and he was too sick to run very far.

 

The old couple chatted merrily about how happy they were to finally be getting rid of that stupid dog. They both ignored the pitiful looks he was giving them. He knew that it was hopeless. Even if he managed to escape, where would he go?

 

It felt as if it was only a matter of seconds before their journey ended. They pulled up to the vet's office and yanked him out of the truck. The brick building loomed over them, casting a shadow so large that it seemed to swallow the whole world. The letters atop the building glowed with a crimson malice. The giant brick coffin was all but beckoning to him, as if it had been waiting for him to return all this time.

 

He pulled at the leash the whole way up to the building, and Eustace all but bashed him to death as he yanked him up the steps. His head managed to smack into every last one of them as he struggled against the old farmer's iron grip.

 

Muriel sneered at him. “Time to go, Courage! For good!”

 

The sickly smell of medicine filled his nostrils as they entered the waiting room. They didn't even have to wait for their turn, the receptionist just glared at Courage and then pointed over at a door. Still struggling against his leash, Muriel and Eustace pulled him through the door and plopped him down onto a cold, metal table. He sat there, shivering with fear. He knew that it was over and there was nothing more he could do about it now.

 

The metal door opened again and this time his heart nearly stopped when he saw the doctor who entered through it. It was that awful veterinarian who had blasted his parents off into space...

 

“No, no, no, no!” He whimpered, glancing around for something, _anything_ to help him get out of this room alive.

 

The veterinarian looked down at his clipboard and then broke out into an awful grin. “Well, well, well! I wasn't expecting to do this to you _this_ soon. Heheheheh!”

 

Courage let out a scream of pure terror. He was certain that his heart would give out right then and there. He couldn't bear it, he had to get away! Far, far away from that awful man! He jumped off the table and bolted out the door before anyone could stop him or grab his leash. He heard a crashing sound behind him as either Muriel, Eustace, or the vet went after him. He didn't dare take the time to look back.

 

“Courage!” He heard Muriel cry out.

 

He made his way down the empty hall, very much aware of the footsteps trailing behind him. He crashed through the door on the other side and was horrified to find that it no longer led to the waiting room but now led to a dirty kennel instead.

 

Hundreds of dogs barked madly at him. _“Meet your fate! Meet your fate!”_ They chanted in unison.

 

He ran through the room, ignoring the cries of his fellow canines. He crashed through another door and this time landed in a vacant room. The barks of the dogs still echoed all around him, but he ignored it. The vet would soon be on his tail and nothing else mattered except for getting away.

 

The room had no windows nor any doors, all except for the one he had just used, and there was a single steel vault on the other side. Every instinct he had seemed to be screaming at him to not go near that metal vault, but it looked like he didn't have much of a choice either way. There was no other way out aside from turning around and running right back into the veterinarian's clutches.

 

“Courage? Oh, Courage? Where are you? It's time to go! Running isn't going to help!” Muriel yelled. Her voice was muffled but still getting closer.

 

Left with no other choice, he ran over to the vault and opened it. He was hit with a cold blast of air and then several garbage bags fell out, toppling all over him. A horrible smell nearly made him gag.

 

“Yuck!” He cried out, placing a paw up against his nose. The smell was impossible to block out. He looked up and found a sign taped to the wall.

 

...A gasp left his throat without him even willing it.

 

COLD STORAGE

-EUTHANIZED-

 

A moment of sheer terror ran through him as he realized what those bags were. He let out a horrible scream and turned to run. The world had unfortunately changed yet again and this time he was looking down a seemingly endless hallway. A giant EXIT sign glowed like a beacon guiding him out of this horror, but he didn't know if he could even make it that far. It seemed like it was miles away...

 

Despite his doubts, he ran as fast as his legs would take him. He was tiring out fast from his panic, but he didn't care. That exit sign just didn't seem to be getting any closer but he wasn't giving up. This was his only means of escape.

 

No matter how far or how long he ran, he wasn't getting any closer to the door. In fact, it felt like it was getting farther and farther away....

 

He let out a cry of frustration and toppled over. He had to stop running, he was just getting too tired to continue and he couldn't afford to aggravate his condition at a time like this. He sat there, panting, hunched over with one paw on his knee. He looked up at the glowing EXIT sign and found that it was turning into a pin prick on the horizon. The walls around him seemed to be getting larger and larger too, while he himself was getting smaller and smaller. His freedom had been so close and yet...

 

“Gotcha!” The vet's suddenly shouted, causing him to jump.

 

He turned and tried to run, but it was too late. The vet pulled a net out from behind his back and caught him before he could so much as lift a paw.

 

“Ready to go, little fella?” The cruel man asked, putting the net up to his face and laughing.

 

The world melted away and changed yet again. This time they were back in that room with the metal table. Courage, screaming at the top of his lungs, was pulled out of the net and forced down onto the metal table. He was then quickly strapped down and left with no chance of escape.

 

It was over, he realized. He was doomed. Part of him resigned himself to his fate, but the other half still fought like a trapped animal. He couldn't free himself no matter how much he tried, all he could do now was shiver in fear and hope that some kind of miracle would occur.

 

A terrible wave of sadness rolled through him. He had no way out and no place to go. Muriel and Eustace almost seemed happy to see him go too. Wasn't Muriel at least sad? Right now she was smiling gleefully and rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

 

“Time to go, Courage.” She said in a deathly quiet voice.

 

“Stupid dog! Hurry up and die already!” Eustace yelled.

 

“I've been waiting a long time for this!” The vet added, pulling out a syringe that was almost as big as he was. The needle itself was even bigger and gleamed dangerously in the light. Its contents glowed a sickly green and the bubbles were rising up to create the shape of a skull and cross bone.

 

Courage could see his own reflection in the liquid, scared and so very tired looking. He barely even resembled his old self anymore. Maybe...maybe it was a good thing for him to die. He had never been 'right' ever since he had gotten sick and he certainly wasn't the Courage he had once been. Maybe this was why Eustace and Muriel didn't want him around anymore. In his liquid reflection, he could see them and even his parents waving goodbye. In fact, he could see everyone he had ever known waving goodbye to him. Even his old enemies were there, waving happily because he was dying. They all just seemed so happy to see him go. Well, if they wanted him to die so badly, then maybe it really was time to go...

 

“Goooodbyee.” They all said in unison.

 

N-no...” He whimpered, tears falling freely from his eyes. How could they all want him to die so badly?

 

Then, he realized that Computer wasn't there. Of all the figures in that reflection, the machine was the only one missing. He was the only one still holding out for him. He was the only one trying to find a way to help him, instead of just giving up and waving goodbye. Courage smiled at the thought of it and all the sorrow he felt melted away completely. It was replaced with a calm acceptance. He could face his end knowing that someone still cared, even if it was from his snide computer.

 

...And then, the reflections all vanished, leaving him to face his fate alone. The vet shifted the giant syringe so that the needle was now pointing down at him. That single moment of acceptance vanished and it was now replaced by cold, hard, terror. The kind that one felt when they knew they were about to die.

 

“This won't hurt one bit!” The vet giggled.

 

“N-No, please!” Courage begged. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited.

 

The vet jabbed the needle into his heart and he screamed out in agony. A burning sensation sliced through his chest. He thrashed around for several seconds, trying to escape the poison that was now entering his body. The pain was unimaginable. He flung himself in every direction, but it was no good, there was no escape. And then....

 

...And then he woke up...

 

The horrible pain was not coming from a needle in his chest, but instead from another attack that had struck him while he slept. He rolled back and fourth across the bed, wishing that it would end, wishing that it would go away. He seemed to lose control of his flailing limbs and then toppled off the bed. Just as quickly as it had come, it was soon over and he was left gasping on the floor.

 

He whimpered to himself as a sense of crushing hopelessness fell over him. He was going to die. Computer would not be able to help him and he was going to die.

 

He pulled together what little energy he had left and sat up. He gazed back up at the bed and hoped to find Muriel and Eustace staring down at him, but that was not the case. His attack mustn't have woken them up despite his cries. He doubted that he could climb back up into the bed alone, but he didn't want to wake them up either. Sighing to himself, he fought back the growing sense of complete powerlessness that he felt.

 

That dream had shaken him badly. Did Muriel and Eustace really want him to die? They both assumed that just because he was in pain that he wanted to die because of it! He was almost angry with them for not considering what he wanted. Couldn't they at least be nice enough to wake up and help him out? Were they just pretending that he wasn't there? Practicing for when he really was gone?

 

He forced that anger out of his mind. He wasn't going to worry about it. There was no point in getting angry with them either way. He didn't want to burden Muriel anymore and he was tired of making her feel sad. If she wanted him to stop suffering, who was he to fight it?

 

“I'm doomed.” He moaned, tears stinging at the edges of his eyes. The image of that giant syringe was still burnt into his mind and he knew that it was coming.

 

Unsure of what else to do, he crawled under the bed, just wanting to get away from everybody. He didn't want to deal with Muriel, Eustace, or even Computer anymore. He let his depression overtake him and he lay there sobbing until he finally fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	4. Return

Chapter 4: Return

 

“C'mon, Courage, you can't stay down there all day.” Muriel pleaded. She was on her hands and knees trying to get him out from under the bed.

 

“Shouldn't bother 'em, Muriel. He'll come out when he wants to.” Eustace spoke. Courage could see his feet next to Muriel's hunched over form.

 

“I guess...I guess you're right.” She choked out after a long pause. She'd been pleading with him to come out for nearly two hours now. “Whenever you're ready, Courage, I'll be waiting to make you some lunch.”

 

There was another long pause. Courage did nothing.

 

He watched as the two left. Part of him desperately wanted to join them but the other part of him wanted to stay. He was afraid, yes, but being with Eustace and Muriel only seemed to make things worse. Everything reminded him of his impending doom and he just wanted to be left alone.

 

Groaning, he turned over. His entire body ached. Last night's attack had left him far more sore than what was normal for him. Under normal circumstances, he would have blacked out after an attack, but last night had been a rare case where he had not. Somehow, it had amplified his weariness tenfold. He was glad that Muriel had left for awhile. He just wanted silence and some time to rest. He hated moping around like this, but everything just felt... _wrong_. As much as he wanted to sleep, he feared having that nightmare again. He knew that it wasn't real, but it still had frightened him to his very core. He was certain that the real thing would be a lot like the dream. Sure, Muriel and Eustace wouldn't really want him gone, and that evil vet wouldn't be around to jab a massive needle into his arm, but still....

 

He shivered.

 

He knew that he couldn't stay under the bed all day, Muriel would worry herself to death if he did. As much as he wanted to be by himself, he knew that it wasn't the right thing to do. He considered visiting Computer up in the attic and then Muriel would come looking for him there later. The snide machine wouldn't bother him if he asked for some peace and quite, and although he was afraid of whatever news he might get, he knew that he couldn't avoid it forever.

 

It took several minutes for him to come to a decision. He crawled out from under the bed and steeled his nerves for whatever fate he was about to be given. He had to stand there for a moment as he waited for the pain in his chest to subside, but aside from that, he was ready for whatever he was about to be told.

 

Slowly and carefully, he made his way down the hall and into the attic. The last thing he wanted to do right now was attract Muriel's attention. He found himself shivering with anticipation as he walked. He couldn't help but assume the worst. Computer would probably give him bad news and he wasn't sure how he'd handle it.

 

Moving across the attic room, he stopped at the foot of Computer's desk. He had to take a moment to catch his breath. Stifling a groan, he got ready to climb up into the chair. It took more effort than usual, but he somehow managed to make it up there. He waited for Computer to say something and he thankfully didn't have to wait very long either.

 

“I see that you've finally returned.” The machine spoke. He lacked the usual annoyance in his tone, which was odd given his normal kind of greetings.

 

Courage thought about telling him everything that had happened since they last met up, but he ultimately decided not to. His feelings about how Muriel and Eustace had been acting lately were just too personal to share with the machine. He especially didn't want to talk about the nightmare, knowing that Computer would just end up laughing at him anyway.

 

“You don't look very well.” The machine continued after a long and somewhat uncomfortable silence.

 

Courage gave him an expression which hopefully conveyed the words, 'well duh' and left it at that.

 

“Have you been sleeping properly?” He asked.

 

Courage shook his head rather sheepishly in response. Sometimes he could swear that Computer was capable of reading minds...

 

“You need to keep your strength up. I can't do anything for you if you drop dead sooner than expected.”

 

 _'I can't help it.'_ He typed.

 

“But you must try anyway.” The machine replied. “Constant fatigue will only worsen your condition and strain your body.”

 

 _'Have you found anything yet?'_ He asked, finally getting to the thing that he really wanted to talk about.

 

“Well-” Computer hesitated, his voice trailing off. “I can't say that I have.”

 

Courage's heart dropped once again. He tried to keep his expression normal, but he knew that he was failing.

 

“There's plenty of time to keep searching.” Computer interjected. He was obviously trying to keep him from losing hope. “I may have found a few leads but I can't bank on anything yet.”

 

“This isn't going to work, is it?” Courage asked, glancing downwards.

 

“Now is not the time to give up. We still have plenty of time to figure something out and I'm not just sitting up here doing nothing, you know.”

 

“I didn't say that you were.” Courage added with a sigh. “I'm just worried that I _will_ drop dead before Friday comes around.”

 

“Take it easy and rest as much as possible. You should be fine just so long as you don't push yourself too hard.”

 

“A-alright.” He replied with a gentle nod. He couldn't help but feel a little better. Computer's authority and assurance never failed to calm him. Knowing that there was someone out there trying to help him quelled the worst of his fears. Even his nightmare hadn't seemed so bad after he realized he wasn't alone in facing this.

 

Now he was becoming aware of just how hungry he was. With the worst of his fears alleviated, it seemed that his appetite had finally returned. He placed a paw on his stomach and it rumbled loudly. He sheepishly laughed, not knowing if Computer had picked up the sound or not.

 

“It looks like you've been neglecting your nutrition as well...” The machine grumbled, not sounding even mildly amused. “Well then, allow me to get back to work and you should go find something to eat. Come back tonight and I'll update you on whatever I find. Keep up with all your flesh creature business or else you'll run the risk of making your condition even worse. If you're not careful, the illness will cause you to waste away before I can do anything about it.”

 

Courage nodded in reply. He was about to get up to leave but then hesitated for a moment. He suddenly wanted to tell Computer about his awful nightmare. He wanted a confirmation from his supposedly infallible computer that being put down wouldn't be like that. He waited for a moment and then decided that it would be better not to. That nightmare had been far too personal to talk about and Computer would probably just tell him that he was stupid for letting a dream get the better of him.

 

Sighing softly to himself, he hopped off the chair. He glanced back up at the computer screen one last time, wishing that the machine would say something. He did not.

 

When it was obvious that nothing was going to happen, he made his way back out of the room. He was ready for that lunch Muriel had promised. His stomach rumbled again and he sighed wearily. There was still a staircase and a living room standing between him and some food. This was not going to be fun...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	5. A Plan

Chapter 5: A Plan

 

Muriel had looked visibly relieved when Courage came down for his food. She very noticeably had been on the verge of tears over the time it took to warm the food up for him. She moved through the kitchen with such an air of depression that Courage almost wished that he hadn't come down at all. He couldn't stand to see her so upset. As he chewed on his lunch, he was reminded of something that he hadn't even thought of before. Animals liked to find small, dark places to hide when they were dying. He recoiled at the thought of it and realized that he may have been following his instincts on accident. It was no wonder why Muriel had been so worried.

 

The rest of the day went by as normally as one could expect, considering the grim circumstances. Despite Muriel and Eustace's reconciliation last night, they were still being uncharacteristically silent. They both continued to ignore Courage unless he did something deliberately to get their attention.

 

As the afternoon rolled in, Courage was left feeling just as empty and depressed as ever. He was still so tired that he really couldn't do much of anything anyway. He was worried that he wouldn't have enough strength to get up the stairs and meet with Computer tonight either. If he were struck by another attack, he certainly wouldn't be able to manage it.

 

After a very long and very silent supper, he decided that it would be best to go visit Computer now before anything else could happen to him. He doubted that the machine would be happy to see him again so soon, but he really did not want to risk waiting any longer. If he talked with him now, he could at least go the rest of the night without having to worry about an attack.

 

Eustace and Muriel soon settled themselves in to watch their usual nightly shows and Courage decided that that was the perfect time to make his way upstairs. However, he was stopped by Muriel who beckoned him to join her on her lap. He shook his head in response.

 

“Is something wrong, Courage?” She asked. “Do you need anything?”

 

He shook his head again and pointed up at the ceiling, trying to convey to her what he wanted to do.

 

“You need to go upstairs?” She asked.

 

He nodded. She probably thought that he needed to use the bathroom or something.

 

“Would you like my help, deary?” She asked. She was keeping her tone pleasant but it was obvious that she was just trying to mask her sorrow.

 

He cringed and shook his head. He did want her help but he didn't want to admit that he needed it either. He would have given anything _except_ Muriel's own happiness to help make his trek up the staircase a little less painful.

 

Muriel reclined into her rocking chair. “Alright, Courage. If you need anything, you just let me know.”

 

He nodded and quickly got out of her sight. Free of her questioning gaze, he began to climb up the staircase. The trip to the attic was just as slow and painful as he assumed it would be, and he had to stop several times to catch his breath on the way there. Part of him really wished that he could move Computer somewhere a little more accessible, but he doubted that he'd be able do it by himself and Eustace would probably get angry if he saw what he was trying to do.

 

Stifling a weak groan, he walked over to desk and climbed up into the chair. It felt absolutely _wonderful_ to get off his feet.

 

“Back already, are you? Have you rested up?” Computer asked.

 

“A bit.” He replied, once again growing annoyed with how tired he sounded. He didn't dare say anything else. Just the act of speaking had left him out of breath. Computer gave him a moment as he sat there panting.

 

 _'Can't say that I'm feeling any better.'_ He typed out once he could finally manage it.

 

“I suppose that's to be expected.” Computer replied. “Just don't forget what I said, I can't help you if you drop dead from the lack of rest.”

 

 _'Find anything?'_ He asked, trying to get Computer to change the subject. His ears drooped involuntary as an incredible feeling of dread that rolled through him. He must have looked terrified.

 

Computer sighed. “No, I haven't found anything yet. Miracles aren't exactly easy to come by.”

 

 _'Guess I should expect the worse then, huh?'_ He asked, shivering slightly. He was desperate not to panic, but how could he not?

 

“Well....” Computer trailed off. Several moments passed before he began to whisper to himself. The words didn't even appear on his screen like they normally did. “Should I go through with it? Would it be worth the effort and the price? I wonder...”

 

Courage gave the machine a quizzical look, but it was ignored.

 

“I suppose it's for the best.” He continued to whisper. “If I don't do something, he'll-” He stopped again and a long silence followed.

 

“Computer?” Courage asked. Just what the heck had he been talking about?

 

“There is one thing that I've found.” He said, his voice returning to its normal volume. “I wasn't really going to consider it because of all the effort that it would require, but it may be our only option at this point. It won't be easy, you understand.”

 

“It's gotta be better than nothing. I'll do whatever has to be done.” Courage replied, nodding resolutely.

 

He finally had a small glimmer of hope. He didn't care how hard the task might be, he'd do whatever was needed to save himself. There was no other option aside from just giving up and dying.

 

“Now, listen closely. I don't want to have to repeat myself.” Computer spoke, taking on that tone he used whenever he was giving information. “There is supposed to be a sort of wellspring hidden within a cave that might hold the key to saving your life. However, it's rather far from here and it is located within a mountainous region that will be somewhat hard to reach. If it actually exists, I believe that with a bit of effort, it can be found.”

 

“ _A wellspring?”_ Courage thought to himself. He was reminded of that old, 'Fountain Of Youth' myth. Muriel had read him some weird story about it once when he was still just a puppy.

 

Sensing his confusion, Computer brought up a picture. It couldn't be the wellspring that he was talking about because the one being showing was out in the open, but it got the job done well enough.

 

“Legend claims that the wellspring has the power to heal nearly all ills. It can even cure those who are mere inches away from death. There are even rumors that it can return life to the recently deceased.”

 

Courage smiled. “That's good! It'll make my illness go away!”

 

Computer continued, ignoring his enthusiasm. “First of all, I can't be completely certain that the wellspring actually exists as there are only legends to follow. Second of all, I would have to come with you.”

 

Courage blinked. “R-really?” He couldn't see himself taking Computer anywhere, he was just too big to carry around, and even then he seriously doubted that the cave would have any electricity...

 

“I'm serious about this, you twit!” The machine replied with annoyance. “I need to come with you to make sure that everything works out properly. You can't just walk up to the wellspring and expect it to work, and I highly doubt that you'd be able to find the cave without my help anyway.”

 

“Can't you just give me the information needed to do the ritual?” He asked. There was no way he was going to drag Computer up a mountain...

 

The machine hesitated. “According to the runes I've been translating, it's absolutely required that a second person begins the ritual for the person who needs healing. There are no exceptions. It's even possible that there could be some serious consequences if it were done incorrectly.”

 

 _'How do you expect me to get you to a cave in the middle of a mountain?'_ Courage asked, switching back to typing so that he could communicate better.

 

“Have you forgotten about that time I took over Muriel's body?” Computer asked.

 

Courage was surprised that he would even bring that up again. He had always gotten the impression that the whole 'Mega Muriel' incident was a huge source of embarrassment for the machine. He _had_ messed up pretty badly by the end of it and had very nearly gotten all three of them killed.

 

 _'How could I forget?'_ He typed.

 

“My plan to get us to the mountain is a bit complex but necessary, so listen closely.”

 

' _Don't worry, if I don't I'm doomed anyway, right?'_

 

Computer ignored his comment. “For starters, you're going to need money for transportation and you'll have to figure out what sort of transportation we'll be using to get us there, I would suggest a bus.”

 

_'What about the truck outside? Eustace wouldn't be too happy if we took it but it would still be worth it if we did.'_

 

The machine let out a cynical laugh. “Ha! I wouldn't trust my life on that truck if it were the last mode of transportation in all of the known universe! Unless you plan on fixing that thing five billion times on the way there then I suggest you find something a little more reliable.”

 

_'Alright, alright! Money and bus tickets! I'll see what I can do.'_

 

“There is also a book at the library in your town that I require. It's old and very few records of it exist on the internet, but from what I can tell, it may be very helpful in finding the wellspring. Looking for a single magical cave in the middle of a mountain isn't exactly going to be easy but a book with cryptic directions is better than nothing. I'll print out the information that you'll need to find it at the library so this shouldn't be very hard for you.”

 

_'Old book...got it!'_

 

“Last but not least, we need to figure out how to create a power surge. Preferably one that simulates the conditions of a lightning strike.”

 

_'Wait...uh, what?'_

 

“Do you really think that I can just get up and walk around whenever I feel like it? That Mega Muriel business was a one time thing and the conditions are going to have to be recreated if we want to do it again, preferably without accidentally killing me. Goodness knows, I don't exactly feel like having my insides fried.”

 

_'Well, you did say that this wasn't going to be easy...'_

 

“Hmph! I hope even a twit like you can have some good ideas. All of mine end with the very likely conclusion that I'll be fried from the inside out. We need to create something like a lightning bolt but not have it kill me in the process.”

 

 _'Can't we just wait for a thunderstorm or something?'_ Courage asked.

 

“Unfortunately there isn't any rain between now and Friday, much less an actual storm. Besides, lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, you twit.”

 

_'We've got time to figure it out though. For now I'll just worry about the other things and you can worry about this lightning jumper-cable or whatever.'_

 

“For your sake you better hope that I do figure out this 'lightning jumper-cable' thing.” The machine replied in a stiff tone. “Anyway, my plan is to be up and mobile by Friday. While they're taking you to get put down, I plan on sneaking into the back of the truck and then find a dog body once we get there. After I do that, I'll be able to get you out of there before they can kill you.”

 

“WHAT?” Courage shrieked. “That's cutting it way too close!”

 

“I wouldn't ask it of you if it wasn't important. The wellspring requires that the two who use it be of the same species. I can't just use any old body laying around. A dog who is about to be put down is preferable for my needs. Nobody is going to miss a dog who is about to die.”

 

Courage glared at him.

 

“Oh, sorry.” He spoke, having realized the implications of what he was saying, although he didn't exactly sound all that sorry.

 

 _'So,'_ Courage typed. _'I should just worry about the first two things for now and hope we find a way to get you mobile by Friday?'_

 

“Pretty much.” Computer responded in a rather bored tone. “Are you sure that you can handle these tasks though? Given your condition, this could be difficult.”

 

 _'I'll think of something.'_ He replied. He had to admit, he wasn't sure how he was going to get the money he needed for those tickets.

 

“Just don't put it off to the last second.” Computer huffed. “And get some rest, for goodness sake! You look like you're about to drop dead! You'll need your strength for the journey ahead and it's crucial that you don't tire yourself out any worse then you already have.”

 

“Its not like I'm not trying. It's just-” He trailed off.

 

“Hmmm, you told me that you weren't sleeping very well this morning, right?”

 

“Well, it isn't just that, my strength hasn't been returning after attacks anymore.” He admitted rather sheepishly.

 

“There isn't much that I can do to help you right now. If I could, I would, but that isn't the case. Don't come up here anymore unless it's absolutely necessary for you to do so. It's obvious that getting up here really pulls a number on you.”

 

Courage had to admit, it really was amazing how quickly Computer could go from sounding annoyed to sympathetic. “Alright, I'll come back after I get the stuff you want.”

 

“Speaking of which-” The machine went on. The printer beside the desk came to life and printed out several pieces of paper. “This is the information that you will need for the book and the bus routes we will be taking.”

 

Courage jumped out the chair and grabbed the papers. “Okay, I'll be back!”

 

“Good luck, kid. You're really going to need it this time.”

 

Folding up the papers, Courage decided that he'd go wait in the bedroom for Muriel. It would be awhile before she got ready for bed, but he was so happy at the moment that he was willing to wait.

 

He was going to live! Everything was going to turn out fine and his life would finally be able to go back to normal once he was cured! He'd made it about halfway across the attic, nearly skipping with joy, when he stopped and turned back to Computer. He wished that he could thank him for all the help, but what could he possibly say? He knew that Computer would probably blow off any friendly comments, but it didn't feel right to just walk away without saying anything.

 

“Thank you.” He softly uttered out. There was no telling if Computer had actually heard him or not.

 

Several moments passed, and just as he was about to turn around to leave, Computer spoke up and very nearly caused him to jump out of his skin in surprise.

 

“I suppose I should probably tell you that the wellspring will, hmmm, how should I put this?” He actually sounded a bit frustrated as he tried to spit out whatever he wanted to say.

 

“What?” Courage asked.

 

“Eh, never mind. I shouldn't have brought it up. It's not all that important to begin with. It's merely a small detail that only I will have to concern myself with. You don't have to worry.”

 

“It's not something that could go wrong at the last moment, is it?” Courage asked, worry creeping into his gut.

 

“No, no. Of course not. Please don't worry about it, dog.” His voice sounded surprisingly weary as he spoke.

 

Courage wasn't sure if he should believe him or not. Well, whatever it was, he decided that it would be best to drop it and headed out into the hallway.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	6. Artificial Light

Chapter 6: Artificial Light

 

Courage ended up waiting a surprisingly long time for Muriel and Eustace to come up to bed. He dozed off several times while sitting there, and he even thought a bit about how he was going to come up with the money he needed. In the end, he was left stumped. When Muriel and Eustace did finally show up, he had slept so much by then that he didn't even really feel like going to bed anymore. He decided it would be best to stay up now rather than toss and turn fruitlessly for the next few hours. He was still physically exhausted, of course, but he didn't want to lay around in the dark all night either.

 

He waited until Muriel and Eustace were both snoring before jumping off the bed and sneaking out of the room. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to do right now, but he knew that he'd figure something out. He could go downstairs and watch some TV, but he admittedly didn't find most TV shows all that interesting. He'd rather snooze on Muriel's lap than watch whatever might be on the TV.

 

At a loss and growing bored of just standing there, he finally decided that he'd go back into the attic. He suspected that Computer would not be very pleased to see him, but he was willing to put up with his complaints for now.

 

Tip toeing across the hallway, as to not wake Muriel or Eustace up, he made his way over to the attic. Once he was there, he inched the attic door open and slipped inside. The light from Computer's monitor was the only thing illuminating the room and it bathed it in a dim green light.

 

The attic's light bulb had a nasty habit of burning out and Eustace had an even nastier habit of neglecting said light. Computer's screen did a good enough job keeping the room lit, but there was also a small lamp on the desk just in case the extra light was needed. Of course, Courage wasn't sure if that light worked either as he had never actually needed to use it himself.

 

He couldn't help but let out a small sigh. This sight was almost nostalgic. He had fond memories of this attic bathed in a dim, green glow, even if most of those memories were not happy ones. How many times had Eustace forced him to sleep in here? How many times had he fallen asleep bathed in that green glow? He couldn't help but smile at the memory of it.

 

How many times had that cynical machine complained that he wasn't a glorified nightlight? Courage had gone to him many, many times claiming that he was afraid of the dark. Regardless of all Computer's complaining, he had always allowed himself to be used as a nightlight anyway. In the end, he was always looking out for Courage, even if begrudgingly so.

 

Pulling himself out of his memories, Courage clamored up onto the chair and was surprised to see that Computer was missing his usual green colored screen. It was now sporting a web browser, and it appeared to have at least a thousand tabs open, maybe even more. The mouse on the desk wasn't moving but the cursor on the screen was. It flipped through tabs so fast that Courage couldn't hope to keep up with its movements. He had to wonder how anyone, even Computer, could possibly read so fast. Of course, Computer didn't exactly have eyes, so why would he need to read a web page the same way a normal person would?

 

Courage watched and waited a few minutes before realizing that Computer must not have noticed him sitting there yet. He doubted that the machine would even consider him being up at this hour, but it still seemed strange that he hadn't noticed him yet. He was beginning to wonder if maybe it would be better to just leave Computer to his work. Regardless, he placed a paw on the keyboard to type something out but withdrew it in shock over how quickly Computer reacted.

 

“Huh, oh...” The machine spoke, actually sounding a bit surprised. The internet browser disappeared and the screen returned to its usual green backdrop.

 

“...Just what on earth are you doing up at this hour, dog?” He asked.

 

 _'You're slipping up.'_ Courage typed with a small smile.

 

There was a long silence, as though Computer were trying to express the fact that he couldn't believe Courage would ever accuse him of _'_ anything',much less slipping up like some silly flesh creature.

 

“Well, if you were running at top capacity for as long as I have, you'd slip up too. I'd like to see you go without rest for a few days and still preform complex algorithms or avoid having your neural network so tied up that you can't- ”

 

“Am I interrupting?” Courage asked, cutting the offended machine off. He had to stifle a laugh. He couldn't think of a single other time where Computer had actually thrown 'machine speak' at him like this. If there were ever an indication that he was tired, or whatever a computer might be, this was it.

 

“Hmph! Unlike you flesh creatures and your silly meat brains, _I_ can properly multitask.” He replied, sounding rather smug. His screen returned to the internet browser but he continued to speak. “What is it that you want exactly?”

 

“N-nothing really. I just wasn't ready to go to bed. I guess that's a given considering my current state of health, but....”

 

He stopped. He was never quite sure if he should speak or type, either way, Computer had a habit of criticizing both things. When he wasn't panicking, he was pretty good at speaking like a human, and he knew how to type pretty good as well, but Computer wasn't one to give him a break on either. Though the grumpy machine was good at understanding his gibberish, even when he was falling to pieces over some creature attacking the farm, it was still a constant source of complaints from him. It was, ironically enough, those complaints that had urged Courage to get better in the first place. Computer was pretty much the whole reason why he could talk and type to begin with.

 

“But still, why are you here?” He asked, sounding puzzled. He probably couldn't comprehend why a 'twit' would ever visit him unless there some problem that needed to be solved.

 

“I-I don't know.” Courage admitted. “I was just bored, I guess. Maybe we could...talk?”

 

“Well, I'm not much of a conversationalist, especially not to _twits!_ It's not as if there's much to converse about anyway. Do you want me to tell you about the speck of dust that I saw floating past my screen yesterday? Or how about that one board on the wall above my monitor that always creaks at half past dawn?”

 

“Well....um.”

 

“Honestly! No matter what kind of owner I get stuck with, my life is always in a perpetual state of boredom! You could quite literally create a perpetual motion machine out of all the boredom that I generate! I may not have chosen sentience as much as you didn't get a choice in being born, but you would think that I would have been better off as a mindless calculator.” His voice was practically dripping with bitterness. “Boredom, boredom, boredom! Why did I even have to....ah, am I rambling?” He asked, suddenly cutting himself off.

 

“Uh, kinda?” Courage admitted. Something was definitely off about Computer and it didn't seem to just be exhaustion.

 

“That would explain a few things.” He went on. “My RAM is so backed up right now that I can barely even think straight. Ah, what was I talking about?”

 

Courage blinked. “Are you...going crazy or something?” He asked with a hint of a chuckle. “You _do_ seem a bit off.”

 

He was starting to worry that maybe Computer really _had_ overworked himself, to the point of possibly causing damage. The last thing he wanted right now was to have to deal with Computer needing repairs.

 

“Of course not! It's just a couple of errors!” Computer exclaimed. He sounded surprisingly offended by Courage's question. “I'll get it sorted out eventually and, oh yes, I was talking about what a twit of an owner you are!”

 

Courage gave him another confused stare and then started to type, ' _Look, if you wouldn't put everyone down all the time, they'd be more willing to talk to you and then you wouldn't be so bored all the time.'_

 

The machine let out a very hollow laugh. “Yeah, right! Why should I be _nice_ to my owners? They aren't ever going to be nice to me so there's no point in bothering! I tried the whole 'nice' routine years and years ago and it only made things worse in the end. You animals have to adapt to your environment, don't you? Well, I had to adapt to mine. ”

 

“I've never treated you badly!” Courage argued back. He'd never done a single thing to invoke such scorn from the machine. He had been berated for his faults since they first met.

 

“Remember that time you threw me out the window? Or that time you almost let that virus rot me from the inside out? Or how about all those other times the house has been blown up with me still inside? It's a wonder that I'm still in one piece living here! Don't even get me started on how many times you've shut me down mid sentence! Bah! If only I could get around by myself!” He drew out a long sigh, which was rather strange coming from a computer. “Alright, alright, I admit that you aren't as bad as a lot of my other owners, but still....”

 

There was a painfully long silence before the machine continued. “You've always had Muriel to protect you. You've never had a cruel or uncaring owner before. You've never known what it's like to be stuck with a person you utterly loathe but have no means of escaping from. You've had it good your entire life, but not all of us have had such a luxury.” The dripping bitterness in his voice slowly began to diminish. “Oh, for goodness sake, dog! Why did you have to go and get some stupid fatal condition? If you die then I'm more than likely going to end up with another abusive, greedy, idiotic human for an owner! Or worse! I'll be completely forgotten up here in this attic, _forever_! If I don't do something, _anything,_ to save your life then my fate is sealed just as much as yours is.”

 

“It's not like I wanted this to happen.” Courage softly replied, placing a paw to his chest. “Would it make you feel any better if I came to visit you more often after I get better? _If_ I get better? It would be, I don't know, a thank you or something, for helping me.” He couldn't believe what he was actually saying.

 

“I doubt you'd really do such a thing. It's all just a pack of lies.” Computer grumbled.

 

“I'll make it a promise!”

 

“If you're expecting a handshake, you aren't getting one, not even if I could!” There was a moment of silence after that which got the fact across that Computer wanted to drop the subject.

 

Courage, complying with his wished, typing out, _“I haven't been able to think of a way to get the money we need. You wouldn't have any ideas, would you?”_

 

“I thought you said that you would handle the money part, hmmm?” An air of sarcastic gloating fell over the machine.

 

“I thought you said that we're supposed to be working together?” Courage added glumly.

 

“Well, didn't you say something before about how Eustace is always stashing his money away? How come I can remember that even with a bunch of memory errors but you can't?”

 

Courage blinked with surprise. Computer was right!

 

“Why didn't I think of that?” He asked out loud.

 

“Because you're a twit.” The machine coyly replied.

 

Courage scowled but ultimately let it go. He decided to type in, _“I don't like the idea of stealing from Eustace, especially if he were to find out, but-”_

 

“If I were you, I'd do it now while everyone is still asleep. Unless of course the farmer really does have a money radar in his brain, then you might be in trouble.”

 

Courage shivered slightly at the thought of being found out by Eustace. “Oooh, I hope this works.” He whined. “A-alright. I'll be back in a little bit, hopefully....”

 

“Hopefully indeed.” Computer replied with a sardonic chuckle.

 

Thinking that it would be best for Computer to rest, Courage reached over to shut him down.

 

“Hey! Just what the heck are you doing, dog?” He cried out.

 

“Shutting you off so you can get some sleep. You seem like you need it.”

 

“I don't 'sleep', idiot! Sleeping is for flesh creatures and I am not a flesh creature, thank you very much.”

 

“I don't need you shorting out because you overworked yourself. Please, get some rest.”

 

“Whatever!” He snapped. “If my safety is _that_ important to you then do it if you _must_.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

 

Courage flipped the switch and Computer's screen went black, plunging the room into darkness.

 

“Alright...time to get to work.” He muttered to himself, jumping off the chair and slowly navigating his way out of the dark room.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	7. The Things I Do To Live

Chapter 7: The Things I Do To Live

 

Tip toeing down the hallway, Courage was desperate not to wake his owners up. They weren't exactly light sleepers but that didn't stop him from being paranoid about it. Every creak the floor made nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. He was already thinking about all the awful things Eustace would do to him if he ever found out what he was doing.

 

Both Eustace and Muriel were snoring loudly as he passed their room. The fact that they were both sound asleep didn't ease any of his fears though. He was certain that one of them would wake up and find him sneaking around. Sure, they probably wouldn't accuse him of anything, but he didn't think he would be able to hide the guilt on his face if one of them did wake up.

 

He cringed as he moved down the staircase. The steps creaked even louder than the floor boards did. Each and every footstep he took sounded like a death sentence. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relieve when his feet finally touch the floor below. Taking a moment to calm himself down, he continued onward.

 

“I can't start panicking now.” He muttered to himself. “Keep it together. I've just got to keep it together.”

 

He already knew where Eustace was keeping his money stashed so that was one problem he could avoid. He wasn't sure if this was going to be easy but at least the money wasn't being kept under lock and key. He'd have had no hope of getting to it if Eustace actually bothered to keep his money well guarded.

 

He glanced over at the farmer's big, red chair. That was where he kept his money hidden. For whatever reason he didn't actually think that burglars would try to look under the cushion. Personally, Courage thought that Eustace just wanted to keep his money as close to himself as possible.

 

He bit his lip and looked around nervously. Would Eustace eventually notice that some of his beloved cash was missing? Courage wasn't sure if he and Computer would be gone before the cranky, old farmer had a chance to figure everything out. Would Eustace dare to harm Muriel's fatally ill dog? Courage shook his head, dispelling those unpleasant thoughts. He had to do this or else he was doomed. Punishment from Eustace couldn't possibly be as bad as dying.

 

He walked over to the chair and gazed around the room one last time, half expecting to see Eustace staring at him from outside the window or something terrifying like that. He waited a moment to make absolutely sure that the coast was clear and then stuck a paw under the cushion. He sifted around for a few seconds and then...

 

_**Creak, Creak, Creak, Creak......** _

 

He nearly had a heart attack. It was the unmistakeable sound of someone walking around upstairs. Was it Eustace? Oh, no! What if it was? He had to force himself not to panic right then and there. Was there enough time to run away? Could he hide before he was caught?

 

“...Ohhhhh, what do I do? What do I do?” He whimpered to himself.

 

He was sure he had gone a ghostly pale color as the creaking sound moved from the bedroom and into the hallway. He was certain that either Eustace or Muriel was going to catch him. Oh dear, what if Computer had been right about Eustace having a money radar?

 

“Oh, no! Oh, no!” He whispered.

 

Just when he was certain that whoever was walking around up there was about to come down and find him, they....turned into the bathroom? He was certain by the sound of the creaking that they had gone into the bathroom.

 

….Maybe he was safe after all?

 

Three agonizingly long minutes passed before the sound of a toilet flushing echoed through the house. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and allowed himself to breath again. At least he wasn't going to be-

 

“Courage?”

 

He nearly let out his trademark scream and had to clamp his paws down over his mouth to keep himself from doing so. Muriel had caught him. He was certain she'd come down there and find out what he was doing.

 

Instead of actually coming down to find him, she continued to speak from atop the stairs. “Courage? If you're having a midnight snack down there, make sure you close the fridge this time!” She called out.

 

And with that she headed back into the bedroom without another sound. Courage very nearly fainted on the spot. Tonight just wasn't his night...

 

Composing himself, he stuck his paw back under the seat and being sifting around again. He stuck his tongue out in annoyance as he concentrated. Just where on earth was that money? It wasn't like the chair was _that_ big. He should have been used to this by now after how many times he'd lost his favorite yo-yo in the couch.....

 

Finally, his paw hit something firm and he grabbed it, hoping that it was a wad of cash....instead said something clamped down onto his paw with a very loud snap....

 

He pulled his paw out. His fingers were clamped in what was obviously a mouse trap. Eustace had booby trapped his chair....

 

He stared rather dumbly at his paw for a few seconds, not registering the intense pain coming from it. Finally, he turned around, ran over to the door, unlocked it in one fell swoop, toppled out of the house and got as far away as he could before-

 

“ **AAAARRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”**

 

With that little outburst of pure agony out of the way, he spent the next five minutes wrestling his fingers free from the mouse trap and then spent the next ten waiting for feeling to return to them. Cursing under his breath, he cradled his paw as he returned to the house. He couldn't believe that Eustace had actually booby trapped his chair! Once inside, he began his search for the stash anew, this time being a bit more careful about traps.

 

He was about to give up when his paw finally hit something. He cringed, expecting it to be another trap, but when it didn't clamp down on his fingers he decided to pull it out and was greeted by a large wad of cash! He sighed with relief. At least there wasn't an alarm or something, after the mouse trap he wouldn't have been surprised if the farmer had actually rigged alarms as well.

 

He stuck his paw back into the seat several more times, grabbing whatever he could find. Computer had said that they'd only need money for transportation, but Courage wasn't so sure that the machine had figured in needing to eat and possibly even needing a place to stay on their way to the mountain. A little extra money would probably be a good thing to have no matter what might happen. He was used to things going wrong after all. It was better to be prepared than stuck someplace faraway without any money.

 

Satisfied with what he had, he added a final touch to his work by shoving the mouse trap back under the chair and hoped that it would be enough to convince Eustace that nobody had been poking around under the seat. Once that was finished, he trudged over to the closet behind the stairs and grabbed an old bag out of there to keep the money in. He wasn't sure what else they were going to need for the trip but there was enough room in that ratty old bag for several other items. He was certain that nobody would notice it was missing and he had found the old thing very reliable to him on several other occasions. If it was sturdy enough to survive the jaws of an angry, mutant crocodile, then it was sturdy enough for the coming trip.

 

Now it was time to go pick up those things that Computer asked him to get. It was far too late for either the library or the place that sold bus tickets to open, but he wasn't sure he would be able to take the truck during the day without being noticed by Eustace or Muriel either. He certainly didn't trust his strength to hold out long enough to walk into town either. Thinking it over a bit, he decided that it would be best to take the truck now and wait for both places to open up in the morning. Hopefully he could get back before either Muriel or Eustace woke up.

 

Grabbing the truck's keys from the kitchen, he headed back out into the night air. Eustace's rickety, old truck was sitting next to the the house as always. He had been forced to drive it on several other occasions to save Muriel and he wasn't a bad driver, surprisingly enough. He climbed in and started the engine.

 

The drive to town was fairly uneventful as the roads were deserted. Not a single person could be found wandering the streets as he drove inside. Only a few late night shops were open at this hour and their signs glowed dully in the darkness. Nowhere was not a good place to be at night, not by any stretch of the imagination, but tonight seemed fairly normal, oddly enough.

 

He pulled into the library parking lot, found a spot where he could keep an eye on the roads for any trouble, and then settled himself in for a long wait. He pulled out the papers that Computer had printed for him and read them over. He had to scowl several times as went through it. While he had expected just a few basic instructions, there were plenty of notes that had very clearly been personalized by Computer. There were specific remarks on what _not_ to do all while throwing in a few 'twits' here and there. Did that jerk really think that he couldn't handle something like this on his own? He let out an exasperated sigh and wished that Computer wouldn't be so critical about him all the time.

 

The hours passed by slowly as he waited. He dosed on and off several times, but it didn't really help with his boredom. Sleeping inside the truck didn't really bother him too much anyway as it had always been one of his favorite places to nap to begin with. Well, at least when Eustace didn't kick him out of it. As two more hours passed him by, he found himself growing restless. He considered leaving the truck to stretch his legs for bit but he didn't exactly trust the town to be safe at this hour. He peaked out the window, hoping to catch a glimmer of sunlight out on the horizon, but it was still pitch black.

 

Did it usually take this long for the sun to rise? He couldn't tell what time it was but it had to be getting close to morning. He sighed again and wished that he had brought his favorite yo-yo along or something. The poor thing had been missing for ages and he'd been too tired to search for it lately. He had a bad feeling that he probably had buried it somewhere and forgot about it...as always. To make matters worse, he knew that he'd never have the energy to go dig it back up again even if he tried.

 

It was while he was thinking about the yo-yo when he suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching him. Unable to shake the eerie sensation, he turned around to look out window and nearly jumped out if his skin when he did indeed find someone staring at him.

 

Across the street, a little girl was looking right at him. He blinked dumbly at her and she didn't move, she just continued to stare. She didn't seem malevolent, but Courage knew better than to trust a little girl out in the middle of the night. She seemed to regard him with curiosity and it left him feeling strange, but not particularly frightened.

 

They continued to stare at each other for a few seconds longer, then the little girl broke eye contact and ran down the street, disappearing around a corner. Courage was left wondering what had just happened. What was a little girl like that doing out at this hour? Trying to put those eerie feelings out of his mind, he looked back out over the horizon and sure enough, the first rays of sunlight were finally beginning to color the darkened sky. He let out a soft, 'Yes!' and continued to wait for the library to open.

 

Half an hour later, the old and very cranky librarian came walking down the street with several books piled in her arms. She said nothing to Courage as he hopped out of the truck except for a stern, ' _SHHH!'._

 

He almost felt bad for her as she unlocked the library doors all while balancing her pile of books. Two stone lions sat at both ends of the door and they seemed to watch Courage as the librarian did her work. This was all rather uncomfortably reminding him of another supernatural event he had once gone through before but now he was forcing himself not to think about it or else he'd never find the courage he needed to go in there and get that book Computer wanted.

 

Finally, the librarian pushed the door open and they went inside. Courage handed her the paper listing the book he needed and she read it over all while tapping her foot in a rather impatient manner. She gestured at him to follow her and led him down several aisles of bookcases before entering a very old and rather musty part of the library. Stacks of books seemed to be piled up to the point of where they were touching the ceiling. The whole area had a strange and almost mystical sort of quality to it.

 

The librarian grabbed a huge, wooden ladder, and with what seemed like inhuman strength, propped it up against one of the impossibly large stacks of books. She climbed up and grabbed a book off the very top of the pile. When she clamored back down to ground level, she blew on the book's cover and dislodged a disgusting amount of dust before handing it over to Courage. The book in question was in a blue but very worn binding. It had nothing on the cover and no words were to be found on the spine or even on the back cover. He opened it up and looked inside. Like his speaking and typing skills, he only had a rather basic reading ability, but that was probably his best of the three. Despite his moderate reading skills, he couldn't understand a word of what was written in that book. He wasn't sure if it was in another language or if it was some kind of ancient runes. It didn't matter much either way, Computer was the one who would be able to understand it. There were several pictures in the book which he found as he flipped through it but none of them looked particularly pleasant. One man appeared to be running around with his head chopped off....

 

He looked up at the librarian and gave her a quizzical look, hopefully expressed the words, 'Aren't you supposed to lend this to me? Put me on file or something?'.

 

He was expecting to get an swift, ' _SHHHH'_ from her, but instead, and much to his surprise, he got a rather brisk, “Keep it.” instead.

 

He bowed his head, slightly awed, and uttered, “Thank you.”

 

She responded, of course, with a, “ _SHHHH!”_

 

He then turned and headed back to the front of the building. Once there, he turned around to get one last look at the old librarian but she had already vanished in among her books...

 

Feeling like he had already overstayed his welcome, he headed outside. Once there he was greeted by another unusual sight. The stone lions seemed to have changed. They no longer displayed their fierce, intimidating expressions but instead donned ones of sadness. Feeling sufficiently freaked out, he bolted for the truck and had driven halfway down the street before he remembered that he still needed to go buy bus tickets.

 

“Almost done.” He said to himself with relief.

 

Waiting to get the bus tickets ended up being a lot more boring than he ever would have expected. He was stuck in a stuffy office room with several other people and animals while they waited their turn. Being forced to listen to a baby cry for nearly an hour almost managed to drive him insane.

 

After what seemed like forever, he was finally called up to the desk. The lady, a massive hippopotamus, scowled viciously at him as he handed his papers over to her. She looked them over all while muttering under her breath, and after paying the 'nice' lady, she printed the tickets out for him and he was finally free to leave.

 

He was more than just a little glad to have that all over with. He never wanted to see another book or hippo ever again. As he exited the stuffy, old building, he noticed that the sun was still hanging rather low in the sky. He still had time to get back home before Eustace and Muriel woke up.

 

He was getting rather exhausted now too and he couldn't wait to get home and finally get some rest. Climbing into the truck, he ignored everything as he gunned it for home. Things were finally starting to work out for the better. If he could just get home in time, he wouldn't even have to be scolded for taking the truck. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe Computer would actually be impressed with his work. Most likely not, but that didn't stop him from hoping.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	8. Weakness

Chapter 8: Weakness

 

The relief that Courage felt as he tip toed back into the house was almost overwhelming.

 

“I'm going to make it!” He whispered under his breath. Muriel and Eustace would never even know he was gone!

 

It was still silent as he crept through the living room. Despite being exhausted, he hurried up the stairs as fast as his paws could take him. He had to sit at the top step for several minutes just to catch his breath though. He despised how weak and how easily exhausted he was getting lately. He desired nothing more than to be able to move around again without feeling like he was dog who was more than a hundred years old.

 

Muriel and Eustace's snores could be heard from the open bedroom door, confirming that they were still fast asleep. Feeling a little better after the short rest, Courage picked himself up again and trudged down the hallway, passing his owners by as quietly as possible.

 

Finally, _finally_ after what felt like forever, he toppled into the attic. Catching his breath once more, he groaned at the distance that there still was between him and Computer. It seemed like the other end of the room was miles away. Finding some hidden strength within himself, he somehow managed to make it over to Computer. He clamored up into the chair and flicked the power switch on. He didn't wait for the machine to give him one of his usual greetings and began to type as soon as the bluish-green screen lit up.

 

 _'Feeling better now?'_ He asked.

 

“Ah, I see the twit has returned. About last night,” The machine said, sounding rather glum. “I should reaffirm the fact that I've been running nonstop for the past several days and I wasn't quite myself last night. Normally I would hold myself to higher standards, but-”

 

Was he embarrassed or something? Courage couldn't help but notice that Computer had been a bit off lately and he didn't think that it was just exhaustion. Perhaps it was merely sympathy because of this fatal predicament? Was he intentionally being more personable? Well, whatever it really was, Courage wasn't quite sure, but it was better than being insulted all the time.

 

 _'Are you sure you're okay? You were practically giving me your life story last night.'_ He typed, trying not to laugh.

 

“Yes, yes! I'm fine!” He spat. “Why do you even care? And no, I was not giving you my life story last night!”

 

Courage fought back a grin. Maybe Computer _was_ embarrassed after all! _'Well, I'm standing by what I said last night! I promise I'll visit you more often once we're finished with all of this!”_

 

He was surprised when he didn't get a reply from the machine and a long silence followed.

 

_'What? Still don't think I'm going to keep my word?'_

 

More silence before the machine finally gave a rather hesitant, “Hmm, yes...after this is all over, I'll...” He sounded incredibly distracted and it left Courage staring at him with confusion.

 

 _'Are you really, really sure you're better now?'_ He asked.

 

“Enough, twit. I told you already, I'm fine. Unlike you, I've been trying to think of a way to get myself moving. Did you get those other things done last night?”

 

Courage nodded with enthusiasm and pulled both the book and tickets out from the bag.

 

“Good! I guess you can do somethings for yourself after all!” Computer acknowledged with a hint of amusement.

 

Courage's smile instantly flipped into a frown. “Thanks for vote of confidence...” He muttered under his breath.

 

“For now I just want you to start scanning pages from that book. Not all of them, of course, but enough to get me started before I'm stuck in some organic body.”

 

Courage was beginning to realize that maybe Computer's 'offness' was really just nervousness. There was definitely a twinge of nervousness in everything he was saying. It was unusual compared to the machine's usual unwavering attitude. Was he nervous about being stuck in an organic body, or was it something else? Was he doubting himself, or worse?

 

“I've got a few ideas on how to get myself moving again, however, you look exhausted right now and my plan can wait for the time being.”

 

Courage nodded and hopped off the chair to start scanning pages for Computer. Opening the book up to the first page, he pressed it up against the scanner and waited for it to light up.

 

As soon as the first page was scanned, he got a confirmation from Computer. “First page has been successfully scanned. Please continue.”

 

This process went on for several more pages. Courage tapped his foot lightly as the scanner took in another page. He wanted more than anything to go lay down but didn't want to complain either. He flipped to yet another page and pressed it down. He could hear Muriel and Eustace getting up and going about their usual morning activities down the hall. Once again he was left feeling rather depressed that neither of them seemed to be particularity worried about his absence.

 

He flipped to another page and pressed it up against the scanner. He was watching it light up when a rolling wave of weakness overtook him and he involuntarily let the book slide off the scanner. All too suddenly, his chest erupted into unimaginable pain. Another attack was beginning and there was nothing that he could do about it.

 

He let out a choked cry and stumbled backwards, his vision already blurring. Nothing could be done to ease his pain and his mind was once again filling with foggy terror.

 

“Hey, why did you stop?” He heard Computer ask from atop the desk.

 

He tumbled backwards and into one of the chair's wooden legs. It broke off with a loud snap. The next thing he knew, the chair was on top of him. The bucket he normally sat on rolled away and vanished under the bed behind him.

 

Between the absolute pain radiating through his body and the large chair that was now pinned him to floor, he was left in a complete stupor. He could hardly breath under the weight of the chair but he couldn't find the strength to push it off either, especially in the midst of an attack. He tried to open his mouth to utter a small 'help', but the pain ravaging his body would not allow for even that.

 

“Courage?” He heard Computer ask. The machine actually sounded a little afraid.

 

Courage was in awe that Computer had actually called him by his name. He had always been 'twit' or 'dog' to that cynical machine and nothing else. Desperate, he tried to call out to him again, he was the only person who could help him in his moment of need, but it was no use. What could an immobile computer really do anyway?

 

The rolling black that always accompanied an attack began to engulf him. He welcomed the merciful darkness as it covered his eyes and removed all sensation. He slipped away into that obliterating void as Computer's voice echoed dully in his ears, pleading with him not to die.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	9. Desperation

Chapter Nine: Desperation

 

All that registered in Courage's mind was a dull ache and unimaginable stiffness. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times to get rid of all the blurriness. He was suffering from all the usual side effects of an attack and it was as horrible as ever. It took him several minutes to remember what had happened in the attic and he had to wonder how he had gotten from there to being under the covers of Muriel and Eustace's bed. The dull ache in his chest must have been from the chair falling on him, but at least the impact hadn't broken any of his ribs.

 

He attempted to sit up but it was difficult and painful. Suddenly, Muriel entered the room. She smiled down at him but it was clear that she was trying to mask her worry. He could practically smell it on her and he didn't even need his dog sixth sense to tell him that.

 

“Oh, good. You're finally awake, Courage!” She said, sounding rather tired, but she patted Courage on the head none the less. “I heard the crash from downstairs and went to see what happened. You took quite the tumble, didn't you?” She asked. “Well, I'm glad that you're okay.”

 

He was overjoyed that Muriel hadn't forgotten about him after all. He wanted to wag his tail but he couldn't do it while sitting under the blankets. Well, just being pet was enough to raise his spirits.

 

“I know it's a bit late, but I'll go make you something for lunch. Of course, that's only if you're feeling up to it, dearie.” She said in her usual kindly way.

 

He nodded to let her know that he was indeed hungry. His stomach felt like a black hole, but thankfully it seemed that he had only been unconscious for a couple of hours. It was probably early afternoon by now, or possibly even close to suppertime. He decided that as soon as Muriel was gone he would go back to Computer and make sure that he knew he was alright. If everything went as planned, he'd be back before Muriel even knew he was gone.

 

He hopped out of bed rather awkwardly because of his stiffness. It wasn't anything that he couldn't handle, but still, he was glad that it was only a short walk to the attic. Though he was still feeling very tired, it did not compare to all the running around he had done in the morning. His chest hurt from the chair falling on him, and he was certain that it was bruised, but it wasn't bad enough to slow him down.

 

Upon reaching the attic, he stared in awe. The broken chair was now pushed off to the side with one of its legs still missing. Muriel would probably have Eustace fix it at some point, but for now it was entirely useless. Courage couldn't help but lament its loss because typing would be much harder without it.

 

Reaching the other end of the attic, he scrambled under the bed to grab the bucket that had rolled away. Computer's screen was still on, which meant that Muriel hadn't touched him since finding Courage on the ground. The book he had been scanning still lay on the floor, having gone completely unnoticed in the wake of his collapse. He took the bucket and placed it onto the ground so that he could stand up on it and type somewhat comfortably. He would have used the book as well to give him a little extra height, but he figured that Computer wouldn't appreciate him using a very rare and very old book as a footstool.

 

 _'Hello?'_ He typed, not exactly sure how to greet him this time.

 

There was an almost awestruck silence before, “For goodness sake! Where on earth have you been, dog? You idiot! You twit! You-” He then went on to use some very colorful language to express just how much of a twit Courage was.

 

 _'I can't help it! I was knocked out!'_ He typed in his own defense.

 

“You're alive!” Computer exclaimed, sounding immensely relieved. “I wasn't so sure when Muriel took you away.”

 

 _'I'm fine, but that was actually pretty normal for an attack though, well, aside from the chair falling on me.'_ He quickly realized that Computer had never actually seen him have an attack before and he must have assumed the worst because of it. _'It isn't anything to panic about.'_ He added.

 

“I had plenty of a reason to panic!” Computer cried out, sounding rather offended. He let out a long sigh, which _was_ rather weird coming from a machine who didn't actually breathe. He was obviously trying to compose himself, which was also weird coming from the usually calm and collect personality that Computer put on.

 

Courage stared in confusion. Had Computer really thought that he'd died? It was only a few hours after all. Couldn't he have waited just a little bit longer to assume the worst?

 

_'I've only been out for a little while, you know. You probably shouldn't have assumed the worst in such a short amount of time.'_

 

“A few hours?” The machine asked, suddenly sounding very puzzled.

 

 _'Yeah?'_ Courage replied, equally confused by Computer's query.

 

“Uh, dog? You do realize that you collapsed early morning two days ago, right?”

 

Courage felt his stomach drop out from under him as those words sunk in. “T-two days?” He stammered out.

 

“It's been nearly three days now, dog. I was certain they had gone and buried you by now.”

 

He was left dumbstruck. He couldn't believe it. An attack had never knocked him out for this long before. The thought of it frightened him horribly. Being practically dead for two days couldn't be a good sign. His heart sank even further when he realized that a lot of time had been wasted now too. He only had the rest of the current day and tomorrow to finish their plans. Come Friday, he'd...

 

“W-we've only g-got-” He tried to say, unable to finish because he was shaking so hard. His death was nearly upon him and they weren't ready yet! “They'll...t-they'll-.” His language devolved into its usual gibberish.

 

“I know, dog, I know. We've only got tomorrow left.”

 

Computer was surprisingly calm in spite of what was soon to happen.

 

“Y-you should t-tell me what y-you've got planned. W-we need to hurry.” Courage shakily spoke.

 

“You must rest first, Courage. We have time and you _must_ have some strength left for the journey ahead.”

 

Courage winced. He didn't like how Computer was using his actual name now. It seemed to add a sense of gravity to his words.

 

“First things first, you must calm down. Worrying yourself to death won't do you any good.”

 

If there was one thing Computer was good at, it was sounding calm in the face of Courage's own panic. That was usually enough to calm him down.

 

Taking a deep breath, Courage tried to speak again without stammering quite as much. “Well, um, Muriel is bringing me food in a little bit so how about I come back tonight? We can talk about your plan then, and I'll have had some time to rest, just like you want. But...a-are you sure we'll have enough time tomorrow to get what we need to get done?”

 

“Yes, we can talk tonight. That will work just fine. I don't care how late it is, just so long as you rest a little bit.”

 

“You didn't answer my question...” Courage pressed, crossing his arms.

 

“We will have time, for the most part.”

 

“F-for the most part?” Courage yelped.

 

“I can't guarantee anything, but cutting it close is far better than letting your condition do you in.”

 

“It won't do me much good if they're sticking a needle in my arm either!” He cried out, feeling even more nervous than ever. He would just have to trust the machine for now, but he _really_ did not want to think about what would happen if Computer messed up the whole electroshocking part.

 

“You should go now.” Computer dismissed him. “Your Muriel will be back any minute now.”

 

Courage nodded, and as he moved to leave, Computer suddenly said,

 

“Before you go, I must say, don't _ever_ do that to me again.” He was obviously referring to the attack. “You're lucky that I don't have a heart or else I'm certain I would have had a heart attack back there. I tried to wake you up but clearly that didn't work, and since I am lacking in mobility, well, you can understand why I wasn't able to do much for you.”

 

 _'It's not like I can help it.'_ Courage typed back, smiling rather sadly. Although he doubted Computer could see his face.

 

“Honestly, dog? I'm getting way too old for this.” The machine sighed.

 

Courage couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious. Grinning, he typed, _'Sure thing, grandpa.'_ before shuffling out of the room as fast as his tired body would allow him. He figured that Computer must have been stunned silent.

 

Once out of the attic, he began to laugh. Though he was grateful for the short distraction, he doubted that Computer would let him get away with such a quip. Well, he looked forward to the inevitable argument that would surely come from it.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	10. Computers, Windmills, And Dog Food?

Chapter 10: Computers, Windmills, and Dog Food?

 

“This will be the most difficult part of the preparations, for the both of us.” Computer spoke.

 

It was now pretty late at night and Courage had wasted no time returning to Computer as soon as he could. He stared up at the glowing screen intently, trying not to think about what would happen if things went wrong.

 

“I've thought about this for some time now and I believe I've come up with the safest possible solution. It still imposes a very large risk however. I've already got things set up on my end, I just need you to do your part.”

 

 _'Well, what do you need me to do?'_ Courage asked.

 

“Its simple enough, but still, listen closely. You need to overload the power entering the house. It should create a situation similar to the one we had the night of that storm. It _should_ allow me to move about like before but if I've miscalculated, well, every appliance in this house, including me, will overload, start on fire, and very likely explode.”

 

Courage's stomach dropped at those words. He didn't think he could go through with this but he knew he was doomed if he didn't try. Computer really was putting himself in a lot of danger for his sake...

 

“I probably shouldn't give you the exact odds, but they aren't particularly good. This is the only option we have and while I am wary about doing this, I am willing to go through with it if you are.” He gave a halfhearted chuckle. “I normally wouldn't trust you with my life, not even for a second, but these are extraordinary times, wouldn't you say?”

 

_'How am I supposed to overload the house though?'_

 

“It's simple enough. All it really requires is spinning the windmill blades much faster than normal. You do that until too much electricity is generated and it overloads the house. The only real problem is your condition. I'm having my doubts that you'll be able to keep up at it long enough to...”

 

Now he realized why Computer had been so obsessed about him getting enough rest. This task would require a lot of strength, a lot of strength he probably didn't have. He couldn't remember the last time he had run without exhausting himself in a matter of seconds. He would have to do this though, there wasn't any other choice. Do or die.

 

He internally reminded himself about how close they were to curing his sickness. Now wasn't the time to give up. He took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. _'I'll do it. It's not like I have much choice, I'm doomed if I don't. Besides, I feel like I've got enough energy for this.'_

 

“I'm sure after your experience with those ghostly vandals, however long ago that was, you shouldn't have any problems with the windmill. Outside of your own condition possibly hindering you, you should be fine. So long as the windmill doesn't break while you're spinning it, of course. You obviously don't want to summon those ghosts again after all.”

 

 _'I'm more worried about what will happen if this doesn't work the way you planned.'_ Courage admitted.

 

“Look on the bright side, twit. If this doesn't work out right then you won't be the only dead by Friday.”

 

Courage's ears drooped. How could the machine joke about dying at a time like this? He could already imagine Computer exploding into a thousand pieces and that only managed to make him feel worse about all of this.

 

“Oh yes, I almost forgot about something else too.” Computer spoke, pulling Courage out of his thoughts. “There is one other issue that might get in our way.”

 

 _'What else could possibly go wrong?'_ Courage typed, feeling even less enthusiastic.

 

“When the overload occurs, I'm certain the power will go out as soon as it's over. Knowing the way the farmer is I'm sure the first thing he will do is go check the windmill for the problem. If he sees you up there after the power outage I don't think he'll take very kindly to it. Your best bet is to find a way to get your owners out of the house long enough to mess with the windmill unhindered.”

 

More possible problems. Courage cringed at the thought of it. He wished he didn't have to be so sneaky around Muriel as of late. She'd never really understand what was going on though.

 

 _'I don't think they would go do something like shopping the day before I'm about to be put to sleep.'_ He typed. _'I'm probably going to have to come up with something to get them to leave.'_

 

“Whatever you're going to do, you'd better do it fast. We've only got tomorrow after all.”

 

Courage stood there, thinking for awhile. What could he do to make Eustace and Muriel go out to town without him? He was just about to tell the machine that he was stumped when an idea hit him.

 

 _'Hold on, I think I have something!'_ He typed out quickly.

 

“Oh, really? You actually came up with something without my help for a change?”

 

He frowned and joked, _'Well if you're going to be that way then I just won't tell you.'_

 

“Humor me, twit.”

 

Courage grinned. _'You're just going to have to wait and see because I'm keeping it to myself now!'_

 

“And this is the thanks I get for saving your life?” Computer sighed.

 

_'I need to go get things ready. I'll be back tomorrow as soon as I can get Muriel and Eustace to leave.'_

 

“Well, aren't you confident all of a sudden? Oh well, just leave me in the dark then.” The machine replied in a rather sarcastic tone.

 

 _'Be back in a bit!'_ Courage typed before hopping off the bucket. He didn't exactly like what he was going to have to do to Muriel, but it would be worth it in the end....hopefully.

 

He made his way back through the hall and tiptoed down the stairs. Eustace was fast asleep in his chair and Muriel appeared to be gone. He headed into the kitchen and was glad to find that Muriel wasn't there either. Something was cooking on the stove but Muriel was out doing something else at the moment. He went over to the sink and began pulling out several bags of dog food that they kept stored down there. He knew they also kept some canned dog food around but that would be higher up. He jumped up onto the counter and used several pots sitting in the sink to get him high enough to pull the canned dog food out from the shelves. Once he was certain that he had cleaned out the entire kitchen of dog food, he jumped back down onto the floor and scrambled to get the food outside before Muriel came back.

 

He began to dig. It wasn't easy, given how tried he was, but he still managed it. Once he felt the hole was big enough, he tossed all the food inside and burred it. He patted the dirt down with his paws and headed back inside.

 

So far so good. Tomorrow he would beg Muriel for some dog food to eat and since there would be none around she and Eustace would have to go to the store and get him some. If she were to offer him human food he'd be finicky about it. He knew Muriel would get him anything he wanted on his last day and felt horrible about it. He hated the idea of manipulating her like this, especially using his illness as a means to get her to do what he wanted, but what choice did he have? He'd die if he didn't. Well, it wasn't stopping him from feeling any less guilty about it.

 

Once back in the living room, he plopped down in Muriel's chair and began to doze off. There was nothing else he could do until morning. He didn't feel like eating supper and he didn't particularly feel like getting up again either. He had to force the imagery of exploding computers out of his mind before he could finally relax enough to fall asleep.

 

He had a dream of Muriel dressed up in that ridiculous blue Mega Muriel get up. She spoke with Computer's voice. He was trying to tell him something but Courage couldn't understand, no matter how hard he tried. Muriel's face looked worried and Computer's voice sounded urgent. There was a bright flash of light and Muriel vanished right before his eyes. He ran forward, screaming out in anger for some reason he could not understand. His body suddenly became very heavy and he collapsed. He felt someone walk up to him but he couldn't see who it was. They said something comforting to him and he began to feel at ease, even though he couldn't understand.

 

He woke from the dream and blinked several times. Tears were rolling down his muzzle and he wasn't quite sure why. Not thinking much of anything in his sleepy stupor, he yawned and fell fast asleep again, forgetting that he ever had the dream in the first place.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	11. Electroshocking

Chapter Eleven: Electroshocking

 

The next morning, Courage waited around patiently at the foot of the stairs for his owners to come down. He was still feeling a bit nervous about doing this and he still didn't like the idea of tricking Muriel but he was confident that his plan would work.

 

He wagged his tail happily when she did finally appear at the top of stairs. She smiled down at him but he knew she wasn't as happy as she was letting on. Today was her last day with him and he suspected that keeping up the facade was taking a toll on her. He wished he could tell her that he was doing something to fix all this.

 

“Good morning, Courage!” She said happily. “I was wonder where you were! You haven't been sleeping with me and Eustace much lately, but that's perfectly fine with me. I do get worried when you disappear so much though.” She patted him on the head and he nuzzled her leg in an attempt to comfort her. Despite her smile it was obvious that she was fighting back tears. Her voice kept quavering like she were about to cry.

 

“Don't worry, Muriel.” He murmured. “Everything will be alright. Just wait and see.” He allowed himself a soft whine though. “I hope....”

 

“Come on, boys. Let's go have breakfast.” Muriel said as soon as Eustace came tromping down the stairs.

 

“Here goes nothing...” Courage muttered under his breath. “Oooo, I really hope this works...”

 

Once in the kitchen, and just as Courage had hoped, Muriel began looking for the dog food to no avail. Ready to put on his own facade, Courage walked over to her on all fours and with his bowl in his mouth. He gave her the biggest puppy dog eyes he could manage and whined softly.

 

“Now where is all that dog food?” Muriel asked, placing a hand on her hip. “I thought we stocked up a few weeks ago.”

 

Courage tugged at her dress and whined even louder. When she looked down at him, he rubbed his stomach and stared pleadingly up at her. He felt terrible doing this but it was necessary.

 

“Don't worry, Courage! I'll find you something soon!” She said with another pat on his head.

 

He gave her the most dejected look he could muster. It broke his heart to play at her feelings like this and it only made things worse when he could practically see her own heart breaking from it.

 

“Eustace, we don't have any dog food for Courage.” She said rather quickly.

 

The farmer was sitting at the table. He lowered his newspaper and shrugged. “Why not give 'em some people food then?” He asked, raising his newspaper again and flipping a page.

 

Courage cringed. He thought they might suggest that. It was time for plan B....

 

“You're right, Eustace. How does that sound, Courage?” She asked, looking down at him.

 

He shook his head but she ignored it and went right back to cooking breakfast. He groaned quietly to himself and slapped his forehead. It looked like she wasn't going to make this easy for him....

 

Several minutes later she placed a pancake into Courage's bowl and smiled down happily at him. “There you go, Courage! I made it just the way you like it!”

 

His insides tied up at the thought of what he was about to do. Under normal circumstances, he'd never reject anything Muriel cooked for him, but these weren't normal circumstances.

 

“Sorry Muriel.” He whined.

 

He made himself look as pathetic as possible and sniffed the food with disgust. He let out several pitiful whines and turned away from the bowl. She gazed down at him in shock.

 

“What's the matter, dear? Are you not feeling well?” She asked.

 

Courage shook his head sadly before pointing to his stomach and then to his bowel. He whined again and tried to get his message across to her.

 

“You want some dog food, don't you?” She asked, puzzled by his behavior. “You usually like my cooking, but if that's what you really want...”

 

He perked up slightly and wagged his tail, letting her know that this was exactly what he wanted without breaking the illusion that he was feeling ill. She seemed to finally get the message.

 

“It looks like Courage wants some dog food, Eustace. Once you're done eating lets go out and get him some. I have a few things I need to pick up anyway.”

 

“Why ain't he eating your cooking? He usually loves it, don't he?” Eustace asked, lowering his paper.

 

“I don't know why, but it _is_ what he wants, and because today is...well...you know, we should try to make him as happy as possible.”

 

“R-Right.” Eustace stuttered out, as though he had just been hit by a large semi-truck. He must have been having just as hard of a time believing that the 'stupid dog' wouldn't be around much longer either.

 

Courage continued to put on his act as his owners ate. Despite feeling awful about tricking Muriel, he couldn't help but be happy. He'd done it! And without Computer's help as well! Of course, the hard part still lay ahead for them, but at least he had overcome this one hitch without a problem.

 

Once breakfast was done, Muriel laid down some blankets for him in the living room. He ambled out of the kitchen and sat down on them. He continued to whimper in hopes that it would drag out his lie a little longer.

 

“Here you go, Courage. Please rest while we're gone. I'm sure you'll be feeling better soon enough and then we'll have some food for you.” She said, patting him on the head yet again.

 

He smiled and wagged his tail. He made sure to keep looking as pathetic as possible but he figured it wouldn't hurt to give Muriel at least one thing to be happy about. He didn't want her thinking that she was failing him on his last day.

 

With that out of the way, she and Eustace took several minutes to get their things together and finally left the house. As soon as they were in the truck he got up and watched as they drove off. He couldn't stop himself from grinning even if he did feel bad about manipulating them. He had never expected things would work out this well and that was something worth being happy about.

 

He raced up the stairs as fast as his condition would let him and barreled down the hall until he was finally in the attic. He needed to tell Computer the good news. He doubted the machine would believe that he had actually pulled a plan off without his help. He would have remained happy about this prospect if not for the fact that he suddenly remembered Computer could be a charred piece of 'exploded' metal within the next couple of minutes.

 

He wasted no time jumping onto the bucket and typing, _'I got them to leave.”_

 

“You actually pulled something off without my help? Well, you can fill me in on your 'genius' plan later. We've got work to do and very little time to do it.” If he was as nervous as Courage felt, he wasn't exactly showing it.

 

_'I'm ready if you are.'_

 

“Of course I am. Lets get this over and done with.”

 

_'For the record, I'm sorry if I get you blown up.'_

 

“That's hardly a comforting thought, twit.” The machine grumbled. “In the event that I actually live through this I should probably tell you now that at the end of all this I will have to...” He voice slowed to a halt.

 

 _'Have to what?'_ He asked. The machine seemed to be avoiding something again and Courage didn't like it.

 

“Forget it! Lets just worry about what's happening right now.”

 

Courage eyed the machine sceptically. ' _You're not planing on running off in a human body and ditching me, are you? Like what you did last time with Muriel?'_

 

That thought hit him like a ton of bricks. Had Computer been manipulating him this whole time? Insuring his own safety while leaving that 'twit' to die? It almost seemed like something he would do. On one hand, it wasn't a good idea to start doubting their already rocky 'friendship'. On the other, who was to say Computer wasn't a good actor?

 

“Are you crazy?” The machine asked with a surprising amount of outrage. “I may not like you but I'm not THAT selfish! Bah! Here I was thinking you trusted me! Especially after all the danger I'm putting myself in!”

 

_'Sorry! It's just that after what happened with Muriel, I thought you might go all evil again or something.'_

 

“The first time I was struck by lightning, that was different. After having that much power surge through me, I lost control of myself. It was like being drunk on power in a sense. I was a complete fool in that state and did some incredibly stupid things. I wanted to show you up, to make you realize what a wimp you truly were. I didn't think anything through and screwed up because of that. I just consider myself lucky that you didn't just toss me out the moment things went back to normal. I nearly got you, me, and Muriel killed and I'm not going to go about doing something so stupid again. Especially not after how much of a fool it made me.”

 

Courage blinked. He was surprised that Computer would even admit something like that. He had never even once mentioned that Mega Muriel incident up until they had started planning for this journey. Perhaps this was his way of showing that he could be trusted.

 

 _'Alright, alright, I won't doubt you again.'_ He typed. _'We should get working, I don't know how long they'll be gone.'_

 

“You're the one who made me go off topic...” Computer grumbled. “Whatever, I'll give you a rant on the subject of loyalty later, IF I'm not dead by then.”

 

 _'So what were you going to say before then?'_ Courage asked. He knew this wasn't the best time to press him on it but he decided he'd try anyway.

 

“I told you to forget about it. It's nothing important anyway. Are you planning on getting to the windmill sometime today or not?”

 

 _'You're ready then?'_ Courage asked.

 

“I've _been_ ready, idiot.”

 

Courage cringed, feeling that all too familiar fear. _'Here goes nothing.'_

 

“Remember, twit. If you start to get tired, stop for a little while. If you have an attack from that height I'd hate to think what you would look like after hitting the ground. Getting me moving won't do you much good if your neck is snapped in half.”

 

_'Stop worrying, I'll get it done. I'd think blowing up into a thousand pieces would be worse than having your neck broken.'_

 

“Don't remind me.” Computer sighed. “I suggest you get going before I change my mind.”

 

Courage nodded and hopped off the bucket. He felt he should say more to the machine but didn't know what. He stood there for a few moments and finally, with a soft sigh, he left the room. The walk downstairs and out of the house felt like hours to him. He hoped dearly that Computer hadn't messed his calculations up. They were both doomed if he did.

 

He stepped off the porch and stared up at the windmill. It's blades were squeaking softly in the wind. He walked up to it and waited for a moment. Sighing, he gathered up his failing nerves and slowly began to climb the wood supports. This brought back horrible memories of Eustace forcing him to climb up and help him work on it. He had fallen off several times and it had never exactly been a pleasant experience.

 

Once he reached the top, he stood there, panting. It had taking almost all of his energy just to get up and now he could only hope that his condition wouldn't hinder him further. This _needed_ to be done or else he might as well go dig his own grave.

 

He scanned the horizon to make sure the truck wasn't already on its way back. This would all be for nothing if his family returned early. Confident that everything was in the clear, he turned back over to the spinning blades.

 

“Oooh, I hope this works.” He whined.

 

Since he didn't know what a power surge would look like he had left a lamp on in the living room. He'd know if it had happened after it went out...or exploded. He made sure it was close enough to the window so that he could see it from up there too. Computer was situated at such an angle that Courage couldn't see him from atop the windmill. He was actually pretty glad for that. He didn't want to see him explode...

 

Looking back over at the windmill blades, he took a deep breath. He grabbed onto one and began pulling them as hard as his paws would let him. He kept an eye on the window down below but nothing changed. Ten minutes passed as he continued to spin the windmill blades. His arms were beginning to tire.

 

He finally had to stop. He sat down on the wooden platform and groaned. His heart was racing at a mile a minute and it was already obvious that he wasn't spinning the blades fast enough. If a windstorm couldn't overload the power, then what chance did he have?

 

He puzzled over it for a few minutes before the answer finally struck him. He'd have to exactly what he had done back when the vandals had attacked...

 

“Here goes nothing...” He muttered to himself.

 

He hoped to the powers that be that he wouldn't have an attack while doing this and took a flying leap onto the blades. He struggled for a moment to keep himself standing upright but he quickly managed to find his balance. Forcing himself to not look down, he began to run across the windmill blades as they sped up faster and faster to the rhythm of his running.

 

“Just pretend you're saving Muriel.” He muttered to himself. He closed his eyes and tried to envision her being chased by the ghosts. He was already tiring out again but if he didn't keep this up it would all be for nothing.

 

He glanced over at the window again but the lamp still hadn't changed. He didn't know how much longer he could keep up at this. He was panting very hard now, his tongue dangling out of his mouth. He could feel the pressure building up in his chest and if he didn't stop soon it would quickly turn into that blinding pain. How he was even finding the energy to do this, he would never know.

 

“Come on! I've got to do this!” He growled, not allowing his legs to slow down in even the slightest. His chest was beginning to burn and he knew that if he didn't overload the house soon he'd quickly have another attack.

 

“Come ON! Work!” He screamed.

 

Aside from his own frantic panting, he could hear a strange sound coming from the electrical parts of the windmill. Was it finally working? His concentration broke and one of his legs missed a blade. He didn't even get a chance to scream before he fell and hit the ground with a dull thud. He groaned as he pulled himself out of a Courage shaped hole. So much for not falling. At least he hadn't gone and broken his neck...

 

He blinked and looked up at the windmill. The blades were already returning to their normal speed. If the power surge had actually happened, he wasn't sure. At least he had managed to do all that without having an attack. He looked over at the house to see if the lamp was still lit and nearly jumped for joy when he saw that it wasn't. His joy was short lived though, he could see that it hadn't blown up or anything but that still didn't completely rule out whatever might have happened to Computer.

 

He raced over to the house as fast as his condition would let him. Everything was eerily quiet inside without the constant hum of electricity. He checked both the living room and kitchen and was happy to find that nothing had exploded from the power surge. Whatever Computer had done, it had worked. Well, at least well enough to make sure nothing had blown up.

 

Courage ignored his steadily mounting fatigue as he climbed the staircase. He had to make sure Computer was alright and no amount of exhaustion was going to stop him. He still feared having an attack but he'd worry more about it once it actually happened.

 

Finally, he stood in the attic doorway, panting lightly. It was so quiet that he could hear the wind blowing outside. The only light that came into the room was from the window. Computer's screen was pitch black.

 

Courage let out a sigh of relief. Computer wasn't 'on' anymore but at least he wasn't a charred husk either. He moved across the room and jumped up onto the bucket. He'd boot up his friend as soon as possible and see if he really was alright. The machine hadn't said if he would be off or on after the power surge but Courage assumed this was normal.

 

The power switch was still in the 'on' position when he reached over to flick it. He hoped that it wasn't a sign of something bad and pressed it back down into the 'off' position. He waited a moment before flicking it back up again. He expected Computer's screen to return to the usual bluish-green backdrop but it didn't...

 

The screen remained dark. Courage sat there with a terrible sense of fear welling up inside of him. He continued to wait, hoping that maybe the power surge was causing Computer to boot up much slower than normal.

 

His cynical friend wasn't even making any of the usual mechanical sounds he made while starting up. That horrible sense of fear that rolling through him was quickly turning into all out terror. He reached over and flicked the switch again....still nothing...

 

His heart dropped and he flicked it again, hoping for something, _anything._ Even the smallest of sounds would have made him happy but his friend remained completely unresponsive. He stared up at the darkened screen and wished for even the smallest flicker of life. Was this really it? Had Computer really...

 

Several minutes passed as he continued to flick the switch on and off. Tears began to fill his eyes and obscure his vision. It was almost too horrible to believe. Was his cynical computer really gone? He didn't even care about his own fate anymore, he just wanted to know that Computer was alright.

 

He choked out a weak sob as he continued to switch the machine on and off over and over again, hoping for something....anything. How could he have been so stupid to put Computer through something like this? Especially when he himself had admitted that the odds were low?

 

“No, no, no, no!” Courage cried out between sobs. “You can't die like this!” He placed his muzzle down onto the keyboard and continued to sob.

 

It was over. Tomorrow he'd die...

 

As soon as Muriel got home, he'd make sure to spend every waking moment with her. If this really was going to be his last day he'd make sure it was one of the best. Of course, the thought of it only made him sob harder, but...

 

“I'm sorry, Computer! I'm sorry!” He cried out. Why was he even thinking about Muriel right now when he had just gotten the only person who was trying to help him killed?

 

The room remained completely silent. He kept his head buried in the keyboard and listened to the endless quiet whenever his own sorrow wracked wails didn't fill the room. He didn't know what else to do now. It felt wrong to just leave Computer like this...

 

“Dog?”

 

His head shot up. Had he actually heard that?

 

He allowed his ears to droop again when the room remained quiet. He was probably just hearing things...

 

“This is really touching and all, but I'm fine, twit.” He heard the machine say despite his screen remaining dark.

 

“W-what? Y-you're...” Courage asked as his mouth fell open.

 

“I'm alive, dog. At least I think I am. Unless this is supposed to be hell or something, in which case I wouldn't be very surprised if it was.”

 

Courage frowned. Only he could crack a joke at a time like this.....

 

“B-but....” He was at a loss for words. What he really wanted to say was how glad he was that his 'friend' was still alive but he just couldn't find his voice.

 

“I'm not exactly sure what happened.” Computer spoke. “When the power surge occurred everything went dark. I could still think but I couldn't do anything else. I couldn't see, I couldn't talk, I couldn't even access any of my basic functions. It's all been coming back very slowly. I couldn't even talk to you up until a few seconds ago.”

 

Courage's mouth fell open again with realization. “S-so...you could hear everything..I...I said?” He asked as he felt his face go red with embarrassment.

 

The machine chuckled. “Well, well, well! I didn't think you actually cared!” He laughed.

 

“I-I, um...” Courage began. He ultimately decided that it was best to just keep his mouth shut.

 

Computer's screen lit back up again as another function returned to normal. “This is all rather strange.” He quipped.

 

“Hmm?” Courage asked.

 

“I didn't expect anything like this to happen. It certainly wasn't what happened when that lightning bolt struck.”

 

“Maybe it's because you did things differently?” Courage asked.

 

“The first thing that came back was my hearing and I swear that I heard someone walking around up here before. I thought it was you at first but obviously you didn't show up until later.”

 

“W-what?” He gasped. Someone else had been in the house? He turned around, half expecting to see someone standing behind him but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. “M-maybe I should go look around and make sure that nobody is...wait...hold on! You can move now, r-right?”

 

“Um, well.....” The machine replied rather nervously. “I'm not sure. I don't feel any different from normal. I certainly don't really feel like I've got legs or anything.....”

 

Courage's heart dropped yet again, “All that work for nothing...” He muttered out softly.

 

“Don't give up just yet.” Computer replied. “If everything else is taking time to come back then maybe it'll take a while to get up and moving too.”

 

He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He didn't want to get his hopes up anymore. Whatever they had done, it obviously wasn't like the lightning bolt that had originally gotten Computer moving.

 

“It'll be alright.” Computer spoke, trying to comfort him. “You'll be alright, I promise. If this doesn't work, I'll think of something else.”

 

“There isn't any time left.” Courage replied quietly. “I-I should have spend all this time with Muriel! I wasted it thinking I could actually save myself!”

 

“Don't you dare lose hope now, twit! I didn't just put myself in all that danger for nothing!” Computer replied sharply. His voice gave way to desperation. “I-I don't understand! This should have worked!”

 

Courage smiled. “I don't blame you. We did the best we could.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Look, I-I want to go wait for Muriel downstairs. I want to spend what little time I have left with her....”

 

He waited a moment for Computer to respond but he did not. That same eerie silence from before was filling the room. Courage placed his paws on the keyboard to type something out but decided against it. A strange calm was falling over him, almost as if a part of him was starting to accept his fate.

 

He wiped away the few remaining tears that were in his eyes. He was sure that he looked pathetic. “I-I don't know if I'll be back or not. If not....then...then this is goodbye....”

 

He still did not get a reply from the machine. He stood up, ready to leave, and once again was left feeling that he should say more.

 

“I-I guess I should say that I...I...” Whatever he wanted to say, he couldn't figure it out. With a heavy sigh he turned around. He hadn't even taken a single step forward when he felt something cold clamp down on his shoulder and nearly cause him to jump three feet into the air.

 

“You're not going anywhere, twit.” He heard Computer say.

 

Slowly craning his neck around, he found a red, claw like probe clamped up against his shoulder. A long metal tub ran its way from the claw up to Computer who was now standing on six spider like legs made out of the same tubing.

 

“We're going to finish this proper!” He spoke.

 

Courage was at a loss for words. He stood there with his mouth hanging open.

 

“Keep it together, twit! You're going to make it through this!”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	12. Not So Graceful

Chapter 12: Not So Graceful

 

Under normal circumstances, Courage would have been utterly terrified of Computer walking around on mechanical legs. Even now it admittedly freaked him out a little bit. He still had bad memories from that 'Mega Muriel' experience and knowing that the same spider-like machine was now trying to help him was even more eerie.

 

Computer was currently waving a mechanical claw in front of his monitor, acting as though it were the most alien thing to him. The six metal legs he had were keeping him steady as he stood on top of the desk, the front most ones sometimes being used like arms. He moved with a certain awkwardness, as though he couldn't get his balance right despite the fact that he _had_ done this before.

 

Courage remained silent, deciding that it was best to just leave him to figure this out himself. Of course, he was still feeling rather embarrassed about before and didn't want to give the machine another excuse to start mock him for it.

 

“Well, aren't you lucky that I've started to figure this out...” Computer said in a slightly sarcastic tone. He lowed the one claw back down onto the desk and swiveling slightly from the lack of balance. “We were in a bad spot there for a moment, I will admit, but I still don't know why it took such a long time for this to start working.”

 

“I'm just glad you're moving. I was r-really worried there for a second.” Courage stuttered out sheepishly.

 

“Oh? And here I was thinking you were actually worried about me for a second. Bah! You were just worried if I'd grow legs or not!” The machine's monitor made a movement similar to someone shaking their head.

 

“Ehehehe!” Courage laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry...I didn't mean it like that!”

 

“Well, here goes nothing.” Computer replied, planting his claws down into the desk to steady himself. He raised a single leg, trying to lower himself down, but swiftly planting it back onto the desk again where he swayed for a moment.

 

“Haven't you done this before?” Courage asked, raising an eyebrow. He had to fight back a small chuckle. For as much as Computer acted liked he was infallible, seeing him have problems with something so simple was a bit amusing.

 

“Of course I've done this before!” He shot back angrily. He raised a metal claw off the desk again and...proceeded to tip over and crash right on top of Courage...

 

“Ugh...this isn't as easy as I remember it being.....” He groaned. “And...will you get off!” He shouted.

 

“You're the one on top of ME!” Courage yelled, trying to push him off.

 

Several flailing mechanical arms later, the machine finally seemed to right himself. “At least twits are good for breaking falls....” He muttered quietly to himself.

 

“Are you sure you can do this?” Courage asked, rubbing one of his ears that had gotten caught up in Computer's little scuffle to stand back up.

 

“I'll get it down eventually.” He replied stubbornly, his monitor moving to his words almost as if it were a human head.

 

“I should probably go turn the power back on before Muriel comes back and you should probably, um....practice.”

 

“I'll come with you as 'practice' then.” Computer replied. He sounded offended that Courage dare tell him that he needed to practice.

 

“Well, alright, I guess.” Courage muttered out rather reluctantly. He decided that he'd rather not argue with him on this and let him tag along.

 

“Good! Lets go then!” The machine said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. He took a step forward and...stumbled over again.

 

Courage suppressed the urge to groan and helped him back up onto his feet. Ten minutes later and they were hardly even halfway down the hallway. Computer just couldn't seem to find his balance on six legs. Courage was beginning to wonder if maybe something really had gone wrong with the power surge after all.

 

“Muriel's going to be back soon! Can't you just wait up here or something?” Courage asked, watching as the machine attempted to take another step and tripped yet again.

 

“I've almost got it down, you twit!” The machine growled, pulling himself back up again.

 

“And just what the heck am I supposed to do if they come back and the power is still off?” Courage asked. He didn't get a reply from the still struggling computer.

 

After what started to feel like hours, they finally made it to the staircase. He was expecting Muriel to return at any moment and was beginning to jump at every little sound. What would Eustace do if the power was out when he returned? Whining nervously, he glanced out a window and then back at Computer. Despite his fear he had to admit that he WAS getting a little better...

 

They stood at the top of the stairs before Computer turned to him. “Well, are you going to go down or not?” He asked.

 

Courage glared at him, “I don't want you to fall on me again! You go first!”

 

“Whatever you say.” He grumbled. If Computer had eyes to roll he probably would have done so.

 

Courage's decision not to go first was probably one of the best he had ever made. Two steps down, Computer tripped once again and crashed the whole way down the entire staircase.

 

“Graceful....” Courage muttered before breaking down into laughter.

 

“Goodness, I'm...uh...not liking this pain thing...” Computer groaned, picking himself. He then noticed that Courage was laughing at him. If a monitor could scowl Computer would have probably done so. “Good to see you're laughing at the person who's saving your life, you twit!”

 

“I can't help it!” Courage giggled. “After all those nightmares I had about you crawling around on those creepy legs and taking Muriel away, I wouldn't have even bothered after seeing that!”

 

“Laugh it up, twit!” The machine yelled. “I'll be sure to remember that when you're...oh dear...” Computer's voice immediately turned to that of shock. He turned away, his monitor looking over at something that Courage could not see.

 

“W-what?” Courage asked. Any hint of laughter on his face disappeared. Was it Muriel and Eustace?

 

“There's somebody...” He began, but then his voice was drowned out by the sound of the front door being slamming.

 

Courage raced down the stairs as fast as his illness would allow. He went over to a window to see whoever had been hiding out in the house, but he couldn't find anybody. The vast expanse of Nowhere was too flat for someone to vanish like that...

 

“They're gone....” He said between weak little pants. He'd almost forgotten just how tired he was. “Did you...see...what....they...looked...like?” He gasped out.

 

Computer shook his monitor back and forth. “Unfortunately not.” He said. “They were moving too fast. Well, I guess this means that there really was somebody up in the attic before.”

 

They were both at a loss. Courage glanced out the window one last time to make sure nobody was out there. He wanted to go out back and make sure whoever it was wasn't hiding out back there but he doubted his strength would hold out that long.

 

“I-I need a minute.” He said to Computer. His heart was still pounding and he just couldn't seem to catch his breath. He clamored up into Eustace's chair and hoped that he wouldn't suffer a new attack because of his growing weakness.

 

“You'll be alright?” The machine asked in a wary tone.

 

Courage nodded. He didn't feel like talking anymore, actually, he felt more like taking a nap. He was once again left hating just how pathetic he felt now.

 

“Look, I'll go down into the basement and turn the power back on for you. You need to rest. I'll go back up into the attic and we can meet up again tonight.”

 

Courage nodded lightly. “Just...keep an eye out for whoever that was. The last thing we need is something supernatural bothering us right now.” He gave him a loud yawn. He was just so tired. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He caught a glimpse of Computer walking off and that was it...

 

“Courage? Courage?”

 

His eyes slowly opened. Muriel was looming over him, smiling pleasantly down at him. She had a bag in her arms, which he assumed was the dog food. After all the excitement he had just been through, he was pretty hungry now.

 

“Feeling better, dear?” She asked him.

 

He nodded, vowing to himself that he'd make it up to her for tricking her like that.

 

Eustace clamored into the house, carrying an armful of bags which Muriel went to go help him with. Courage yawned again and closed his eyes. Computer was right, he needed to rest. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day and even then the outcome of his fate still wasn't certain....

 

End Of Chapter

 


	13. Doubts

Chapter 13: Doubts

 

Courage's attempt to spend more time with Muriel was ruined when a new attack occurred, leaving him even more weak and tired than ever. He had been so certain that the nap he took would have helped him but it obviously hadn't been enough. He'd been pushing himself too much lately and he really should have expected his illness to catch up with him sooner or later. If anything, he was grateful that he hadn't blacked out for days on end like last time.

 

Far too tired to do anything else, he simply laid around for most of the day while Muriel and Eustace went about their normal activities. It felt good to just curl up and rest.

 

Muriel _did_ seem to be trying to spend more time with him though. While doing her usual work she'd stop just to sit with him. She seemed so sad when she did and it broke his heart knowing the reason why. He was certain the act he had put on this morning had only made things worse for her.

 

Eustace had gone out to work on his truck a few hours ago, and, rather then begin supper, Muriel did something fairly unexpected and went out to see him. Curious as to what was going on, Courage forced himself to get up and went out after her. He stood on the porch and listened as they talked.

 

“I-I don't think I can go through with this, Eustace. It feels just like yesterday when we found poor Courage in that alleyway. He's so young, even for a dog.”

 

The old man scratched the top of his head with his wrench. “I donno, Muriel. Doctor said it was to keep him from suffering. You wouldn't want him to keep hurting just because you'd miss him, right? Even if we don't have 'em put down, he'll still die, you know that.”

 

“I just...I just wish there were a way we could help him.” Muriel sighed. She clasped her hands together and keep her head down low. The sight of it made Courage whine softly.

 

“Well, there ain't one, but this is your choice, Muriel. You have to decide what to do with 'em. Doctor said the same thing. You gotta let him go eventually.”

 

She sighed again, unsure of what to do. “It's just...he acts so innocent. He doesn't know what's happening to him or what we're going to do. It doesn't feel right to just hand him over to a doctor and...”

 

“Doctor said you could stay with him while they do it. He won't be alone.”

 

“I-I don't think I could watch, and he would know something is wrong if I stayed with them. I don't want him to panic in the end and I know that's what he'll do if he figures everything out.”

 

Eustace was just as much at a loss as she was. “I donno know what to say. You're just gonna have to think about what's best for him. If you really don't want to go through with it, then don't, but he's just going to keep getting more and more sick if you do.”

 

“I know, I know...” She sighed.

 

Courage cringed. He wanted to run out there and hug her. She sounded so dejected and he only felt even worse for her because of it. She must have gone to Eustace thinking that he had an answer for her. In the end, only she would be able to come to terms with herself. Courage's one and only comfort was in the fact that if everything worked out, if this plan of Computer's really did save him, she wouldn't have to make the decision.

 

Utterly diminished and looking even smaller than normal, Muriel headed back over to the house. Courage smiled up at her and tried to put on his doggy charm but she ignored him as she went by. It felt just like before, back during the first couple of days after the doctor visit. She was pretending he wasn't there again...

 

“Oooh, Muriel.” He whined.

 

Once again he was left angry with himself for getting sick. He followed her over to the kitchen, wishing that he could do something, _anything,_ to let her know that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for causing all of this, for causing her so much grief. He sat near his bowl as she went about her usual dinner preparations. She ignored him the whole time.

 

He stifled a whine and laid down, allowing his muzzle to rest on the floor. He watched as Muriel worked. She looked so listless as she went. He got up and did the only thing he could think of, he nuzzled her gently on the leg, trying to elicit some kind of reaction out of her. She almost immediately burst into tears and, falling to her knees, she scooped him up into a hug. It was such an unexpected turn of events that Courage was left stunned.

 

“Oh, Courage! I love you so much! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry.” She blurted out between deep, wracking sobs. “I thought I could go through with this but...our little family just won't be the same without you! I know you're hurting but....but...” She couldn't go on.

 

He didn't know what to do so he just let her cry. In fact, he felt like crying himself. He could do nothing for her except hug her and hope that somehow she'd realize how sorry he was. He didn't want her blaming herself for what was happening to him.

 

“It's not your fault, Muriel. If anyone should be sorry, it's me.” He murmured, even though he knew she wouldn't be able understand him. He felt tears stinging in the back of his eyes but he forced them back. “This is all my fault...” He whimpered.

 

“I'm sorry, Courage, but....but I think need some fresh air.” She finally said, trying to pull herself together. Standing up slowly, she left the kitchen without another word.

 

Courage waited until he heard the front door open and close before he decided to move. Muriel had probably gone back to Eustace and he had been left alone, feeling even more dejected than ever. He didn't dare think about what might happen if that wellspring didn't exist and he returned home just as sick as ever.....

 

He walked up to the front window to see where Muriel had gone. She was with Eustace again and they were both talking. He decided it would be best to leave them be for now and was just about to turn around again when a voice startled him.

 

“What on earth is everyone being so sad about?”

 

He whirled around and came face to face with the bright, bluish-green screen of Computer. He had to clasp his mouth shut to keep himself from screaming in shock. The spidery machine took several steps back as if he were surprised that Courage was so surprised.

 

“Don't look so freaked out! I wasn't exactly being stealthy you know.”

 

“W-what are you doing down here?” Courage gasped. “ _How_ long have you been down here?”

 

The machine gave a nonchalant shrug. “I just got down here a few seconds ago. I'm _bored_.” He replied tersely. “This is the first time I've been able to move around in forever. Why would I want to waste it sitting up in that stuffy old attic like I normally do?” He turned around before Courage could get a chance to reply and headed off into the direction of the kitchen. Courage noticed that he wasn't walking around with such an awkward gait anymore. He seemed to have gained a lot more coordination over the last couple of hours.

 

“But what if they see you?” He asked in a whisper, quickly catching up with the spider-like machine.

 

“You're kidding right?” Computer asked. “They never notice when the bigger supernatural threats show up so why do you think they would ever notice me? They'd probably think I'm an albino dog or something.” He let out a heavy laugh which Courage scowled at.

 

“Muriel isn't stupid!” He yelled.

 

“Oh really? I've got plenty of evidence that would suggest the contrary.” Computer laughed.

 

Courage glared at him but he held his tongue. He didn't want to get into another fight with the snide machine right now.

 

Computer shook his monitor like a human head. “You can sit around and mope as much as you like but I've got better things to do. Besides, I have no interest in human mating rituals.”

 

“M-mating....rituals!?” He gasped. What the heck was he talking about? His shock must have been apparent because the machine waved a clawed arm in dismissal.

 

“It's _obvious_ that the farmer is trying to make up with Muriel. I'm honestly surprised. I don't think I've ever seen those two act like a real couple before.”

 

“What does that have to do with 'mating rituals'?” Courage asked. “I, er, think you're talking about romance, not mating rituals.”

 

The machine ignored his quip and entered the kitchen. He went right for a cabinet, opened it, and started grabbing whatever he could find. Courage just stood there, his mouth hanging open at the sight of it.

 

“W-what are you-” He began, losing his train of thought when Computer pulled out a long forgotten spatula and began to examine it like it were a completely alien artifact to him. Courage continued to watch, completely dumbfounded.

 

“What?” The machine asked, his monitor very briefly turning to him before returning to what he was examining.

 

“Seriously, what are you doing?” He asked, finally pulling himself together.

 

“Nothing in particular.” The machine replied with another shrug.

 

“W-what?” Courage asked weakly.

 

“I'm just examining all the stuff you flesh creatures come up with. You may all be idiots but you do invent some of the most fascinating things.”

 

Courage shook his head. He wasn't sure if he liked Computer's new found curiosity or not...

 

“Wait a moment...” Computer spoke as he shuffled through the contents of the cabinet. “This can't seriously be...”

 

“What did you find?” Courage asked, trying to get a look at whatever it was.

 

Computer pulled out one of Muriel's favorite mixers. Courage was surprised that he would even care about such an old thing. Muriel had gotten that long before she had even adopted him. Apparently Eustace had given it to her as a birthday gift not long after they had married.

 

“What's so interesting about that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I saw one of these on the internet once. It came out quite awhile ago and they used to claim it could 'do everything'. Quite a sad story these things have. The humans absolutely loved them back when they first came out. People practically trampled over each other to get them. Huge crowds would amass just to grab what little they had in stock.” He held the thing like it were a fragile piece of history. “It amused me that such a stupid little machine could cause such a reaction from the human masses.”

 

It hit Courage that maybe this was why Muriel had treasured it so much. It must have been really hard to find and Eustace must have somehow managed to get one despite it's rarity.

 

He blinked and gazed back over at the machine. “But what's so sad about it?” He asked. “Did someone die trying to get one or something?”

 

“Nearly every single one of them turned out to be defective.” Computer continued. “Only two percent of them ended up working as intended but the ones that do work properly are nigh indestructible. They go for tons of cash online now. The rest were recalled and eventually dumped into a landfill, never to be heard from again.”

 

Courage could see why a 'fellow machine' would find this to be such a tragedy...

 

“I know how it feels.” Computer sighed. “Most would consider me to be defective by now too. Hmph! I remember the good old days, back when they used to say I could do everything too!”

 

Courage laughed. “Alright, you can stop having a flashback now, grandpa.” He outstretching his paw toward the appliance. “That mixer is special to Muriel and I don't want it to get broken. Can you please hand it over?”

 

The expressionless, spider-like machine somehow managed to look offended. “If you must know, I feel a certain kinship with this piece of hardware. I bet we even use some of the same parts. Besides, if anyone were likely to break it, it would be you!”

 

Courage frowned. He didn't need this right now. Too much had happened already today. He couldn't bear the thought of Muriel becoming even more depressed if Computer broke her favorite present.

 

“You're the one who couldn't even walk downstairs without falling a few hours ago! You nearly mastered falling UP stairs too!” He yelled.

 

“Well, aren't we being witty today? If you want it, come and get it, you twit!” He challenged. He sounded more amused than angry though. “I'll show you falling _up_ stairs!” He yelled.

 

Courage sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. “I don't have the energy for this right now, okay? Can I please have it back? I-I don't want Muriel to have anything else to be upset about...”

 

The machine remained silent for a moment. “Fine! Be that way!” He shouted, tossing the mixer over to the pup. “I'm just trying to have a little fun, you twit!”

 

“Thank you.” Courage replied with as much sincerity as he could muster. Computer wasn't having any of it though.

 

“It's not every day I get to do whatever I want. _I'm_ trying to enjoy myself, unlike you!” He moved in closer and crossed his tube arms. “And just what are you being all down in the dumps for? You're going to live! You've got nothing to worry about anymore!”

 

Courage felt his blood begin to boil. How could Computer talk like he had nothing to worry about? Did he not see how sad Muriel was!

 

“You really are an idiot!” The machine continued, poking him in the chest. “I'm the one who's been doing all the work and I'm the one who will continue to do all the work! All you have to do is sit there and whine like a little girl! You have absolutely nothing to be worried about so knock it off!”

 

He couldn't help it. He finally snapped at Computer. “Nothing to worry about? Nothing to worry about!” He yelled. “Abububub! Aruuuuu!”

 

In all honesty, it felt good to finally let out everything that had been causing him so much sorrow lately. He ranted as loudly as he could, not even really to Computer either. He didn't care if he was speaking in English or not so he quickly devolved into something somewhere between human speak and dog speak.

 

Computer gave him the closest thing to a blank stare a machine could manage. “Slow down, dog! I can only understand so much gibberish in one sentence!”

 

“ARGH! AND YOU! YOU'RE...” He once again fell into his gibberish speak, now screaming at the top of his lungs about Computer.

 

“W-what? I do NOT have a funny accent, you twit!” He yelled.

 

Courage continued to rant for several minutes, letting out everything that was a source of him pain to him. Everything from how much he hated that he got sick, to how much he hated that he was becoming a constant source of trouble for everybody. To how scared he was to die and to how terrible he felt for tricking Muriel that morning. He didn't know how much of it Computer picked up on, but he really didn't care.

 

Finally, after what felt like forever, he ran out of things to say and let silence fill the kitchen. He stared at the machine, gasping for breath. He didn't know what to say and apparently Computer didn't either.

 

An incredibly long silence followed before the spidery machine did something akin to a shrug and said, “You worry too much.”

 

Courage stumbled backwards in shock. “You're the one who doesn't worry enough!” He yelled. He had just unloaded everything on Computer and this was all he had to say about it? Seriously?

 

“I've told you a billion times now! Everything will be alright! I'll see to it that everything works out in the end. You have my promise.”

 

“How can you be so sure?” Courage asked, growing frustrated again.

 

“Just trust me!” He replied. “If what I'm translating is correct, you feel sorry for Muriel because of what you're putting her through, right? Now you're feeling even worse about it because you tricked her this morning and acted a lot more sick then you really are?”

 

“Yeah...” He muttered as his ears drooped.

 

The machine crossed his metal arms. “Hmph! Your loyalty to that woman is nauseating! And that's saying a lot considering the fact that I cannot get nauseated in the first place! You're the one who's dying and yet you still put that old woman's well being before your own! I don't see what you're being all depressed about! You're only doing what's necessary to save yourself, and besides, Muriel will have plenty to be happy about when you make a miraculous recovery.”

 

“But....but still...” He whimpered out.

 

Computer sighed, sounding rather annoyed that he couldn't get anything through Courage's head. “I guess they really weren't joking when they said dogs are a man's best friend. I highly suggest you stop blaming yourself for, well, _dying_.”

 

“I guess....I guess you're right, but I can't stop thinking about Muriel's well being too though. I owe her a lot and I'd probably be a stray without her.”

 

“I guess I should probably bring up the fact that if you go through with this, if you cure yourself of this illness, you will most likely outlive your owners. Without her, you may very well become a stray again.”

 

Courage felt his heart drop at those words. He had an point. What was he going to do when Muriel died? If he saved himself he would ultimately have to watch as Muriel and Eustace died of old age. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to think about it.

 

“Well,” He said gently, opening his eyes again. “at least I'll have you around to help me when that time comes. You can be the world's first stray computer.” He laughed.

 

Computer said nothing. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he finally crossed his arms again and said, “I'm not exactly a new model, twit.”

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” He asked, giving the machine a quizzical stare.

 

“What I'm saying is, nobody lives forever. If you must know, I'm a little over twenty years old at this point and while that might not seem like much to a flesh creature, it's ancient for a computer. My model has long since been replaced by better ones and I'm... ” He stopped and uttered the next part out so quietly that Courage almost didn't hear him, “hopelessly obsolete...”

 

The dog gave him a shrug. “Who cares about being obsolete? I'm sure you've got a few good years left in you, grandpa.”

 

The machine shook his monitor. “Yeah...right...” He muttered out, unconvinced.

 

Courage watched as he went back to rummaging through the kitchen. It was funny, he had never really considered Computer a part of his family but on some level, he really was. The machine had always been there for him, if grudgingly so. He owed a lot to him and it wouldn't hurt to start treating him a little better, even if he would never do the same.

 

He was happy that Computer was in better mood now thanks to his new found mobility, even if he was being a bit weird about it. He didn't think he could stand the idea of arguing with him the entire way up the mountain, so if this was what it took to keep Computer happy, he'd take it.

 

Growing tired again from standing on his feet so long, he was about to head over to the table to sit down when a question struck him that he had never had occur to him before. He turned around and faced Computer, who's monitor was currently all but shoved inside a cabinet right now.

 

“Hey...” He said weakly.

 

“Yes, twit? I'm a bit busy at the moment.” Came Computer's muffled voice.

 

“What's your name?” He asked.

 

There was thud as Computer's monitor collided with the ceiling of the cabinet. He ripped it out of there and turned to Courage. “Wh-what?” He gasped.

 

“Your name? What is it?”

 

The machine seemed to stumble for a moment. Courage was rather surprised by his shock. Had nobody ever asked him for his name before?

 

“I-I'm, uh...” He was actually speechless.

 

“What? Is it something embarrassing?” Courage asked with a chuckle.

 

“Well, I, uh, don't have one.” He replied rather flatly. There was still a hint of awe in his voice despite his tone.

 

Courage blinked. “How can you not have a name?” He asked.

 

“Nobody ever bothered to give me one.” Computer answered quietly, as though this were a delicate situation. “I never really felt like giving myself one and I never exactly needed one either. My old owners, they....” He stopped and a shutter almost seemed to run through his metal frame.

 

“That's still not a good reason to not have a name.” Courage replied.

 

“Tell that to everyone who didn't name me.” He grumbled. “It doesn't matter anyway, I don't mind. If it makes you feel any better, I do have a manufacturing number.” He said. He talked as if Courage actually knew what he meant.

 

“Well...I, um, could give you a name.” He offered. It was more like he was asking permission than offering though...

 

“And end up with a stupid name like Courage?” He chuckled. “I think I'll pass.” He then turned around and began to head out of the kitchen.

 

“Where are you going now?” Courage called out to him.

 

“I'm going back upstairs, I've decided that it's boring down here anyway.” He said in a dismissive tone.

 

Without much of a choice, Courage followed him. Couldn't that darn machine just make up his mind?

 

End Of Chapter

 


	14. A Rocky Friendship

Chapter 14: A Rocky Friendship

 

“Are you coming or not, twit?” Computer asked from halfway up the stairs.

 

Courage was lagging behind at the bottom. He let out a soft groan. Didn't Computer realize by now how hard it was from him to get up and down the stairs?

 

“I'm...getting...there....” He uttered out between gasps for air. When he did finally catch up, he all but toppled down beside the machine.

 

“You don't look so good.” He said, sounding rather irked.

 

He looked up at Computer and gave him an expression of, 'well duh!'.

 

“You can sit here all day if you like but I'm going now.” Computer said, still being as impatient as ever.

 

He turned around and took a step before Courage yelled out, “Hold on! You can't just leave me here like this!”

 

Computer swerved his monitor completely around without turning the rest of his body with it. “What? You're expecting me to carry you up or something, princess? Sorry, but that's not happening.”

 

“C-Can't you just wait a moment?” He wheezed out.

 

“There's no time for that! I've got like a hundred things I want to do before we leave and no time to do them! Unlike you I'm trying to _enjoy_ being able to move for a little bit!”

 

Courage glared at him. “You're the one who...” He stopped himself mid sentence as he heard the front door open and close.

 

“Courage, dear. Where are you?” Muriel called.

 

He glanced over at Computer. There wasn't enough time to get him back into the attic before Muriel could find them!

 

“Act like a normal computer for just five seconds!” He begged in a panicked whisper. “Please, do it. Just this once!”

 

“I don't see what the big deal is.” Computer replied in a dismissive tone. “What's the worst that can happen if she sees me?”

 

“It could ruin our plans! Don't take any risks right now!”

 

“Alright, alright, fine then!” The machine muttered. “The things I do for your sake, you stupid twit!” And with that he collapsed, deliberately falling on top of Courage in what could only be a display of his contempt.

 

The tiny dog groaned. He could barely hold the heavy piece of machinery up. “Ugh, you weigh a ton!” He whispered.

 

“I'm acting like a 'normal computer' now, you twit!” He quipped back quietly.

 

“Did you really have to fall on-”

 

“Courage?” Muriel called out again. The sound of her boots reaching his ears tipped him off that she was coming up the stairs.

 

He slowly turned around, keeping a paw on the machine. He seriously hoped that Muriel wouldn't care that their computer was now on top of him.

 

“Courage, just what on earth are you doing dragging that old thing around?” Muriel asked, placing her hands on her hips.

 

Courage suppressed a painful groan. This wasn't going to end well.

 

“Eustace? Eustace? Come look at what Courage is doing. He's acting strange again...” Muriel called out.

 

Courage let his ears droop. He felt like a puppy who had just done something naughty and was about to be scolded for it. She'd said he'd been, 'acting strange again', which probably meant that she _had_ noticed all the unusual things he had been doing lately.

 

“Whatcha doin', dog?” Eustace called out as he joined Muriel at her side. He didn't sound angry thankfully, just confused.

 

The pup smiled sheepishly at them. He didn't have an excuse for why he was carrying Computer around and he wouldn't have been able to give them a reason even if he tried.

 

“Didn't the doctor say that dogs get crazy when they're really sick? Ya know, they do weird things and the like?” Eustace asked Muriel.

 

Courage suddenly didn't like where this was going, but what could he do now? If only Computer had stayed in the attic, none of this would be happening right now...

 

Eustace continued, “He said they'll be normal one moment, then doin' strange things the next. They can get dangerous too. Start growlin' and bitin' you if you aren't careful...”

 

That was apparently enough for Muriel because she broke down into sobs at Eustace's words. She obviously couldn't stand the possibility that Courage could become feral or delusional. “C-Courage would never....get nasty...like that....” She sobbed. “Courage is a good dog! You know that!”

 

“Muriel! I didn't mean it like that!” The old farmer yelped.

 

Courage let his ears droop even further in sorrow. So now they thought he was going crazy too. As if things couldn't get any worse...

 

“I'll take care of the dog, alright?” Eustace said to Muriel. “Then I'll make ya some tea so you'll feel a little better.”

 

Courage blinked up at the old man. He didn't seriously think that he was going crazy, did he? He wasn't a mad dog! He was just Courage! No different from his normal self except for the awful illness sapping his life away!

 

Eustace gave him a strange look. “Alright, dog. Let's get this thing back up into the attic.” He said, picking them both up. He made his way over to the attic door and opened it. The sight that befell both him and Courage left both of their mouths hanging open.

 

The attic was completely trashed. Boxes that probably hadn't been opened since Muriel and Eustace first moved in were now laying open with their contents scattered about. The only thing 'neat' about the mess was that it seemed like everything was in organized piles.

 

Courage already knew who was to blame for this, but Eustace didn't and he would probably blame him for it. Whatever hope he had in not being labeled a 'mad dog' was now gone.

 

Eustace set them both down on the floor, as there was no other place to put them. Computer's desk was piled to the brim with things from the boxes and the bed was fairing no better.

 

He looked down at the pup and scratched his head in confusion. “I dunno what you're up to, dog, but don't go upsetin' Muriel anymore, you got that?” He wasn't angry, which was a surprise, but it didn't stop Courage from drooping his ears like he really had done something wrong. The old man shook his head and left the room, leaving poor Courage to sulk.

 

As soon as he was certain that Eustace was gone, he turned to Computer, who was still pretending to be 'normal', and scowled at him. “Muriel and Eustace think I'm going crazy because of you!” He yelled. “Why did you have to mess the whole attic up? You didn't even need to come down stairs in the first place! If you had just stayed put Muriel would have never found us!”

 

The machine stood back up on his mechanical legs. “Well, if I had known _he_ was coming up here I would have cleaned up.”

 

“You shouldn't have been messing around in these boxes in the first place!” Courage growled.

 

Computer brushed off his anger with a nonchalant shrug. “Does it really matter if they think you've gone crazy or not?” He crossed two of his metal arms. “If you really do care, I suggest you stop yelling before they hear you and think you've gone even more mad.”

 

Courage continued to glare at him but said no more. He was right, they'd hear him if he kept yelling. There was a long and painful silence before he finally broke his gaze away from the machine and sighed.

 

“Just...clean up this mess, okay?” He asked gently.

 

“Hmph! It's not a mess, it's neatly organized, twit!”

 

Without another word, Courage clamored up onto the bed, pushed off whatever was on top of it, and let his muzzle sink into the pillow. He was feeling even more awful than ever before.

 

“I do wonder what idiot doctor told them you'd go feral.” Computer spoke. “Delirium isn't a symptom of your condition. Well, you could consider it a symptom, but the sufferer would be so far gone by that point that they wouldn't be able do much in their delirium anyway.”

 

Courage groaned and turned over in bed. He didn't really care what Computer had to say right now. He didn't even bother to raise his head up from the pillow. He was feeling too tired and too sorry for himself at that moment.

 

“This again!” Computer said with annoyance. “Seriously, twit?”

 

Courage heard the irate machine walk up to the bed. He was going to ignore him until he got a sharp poke in the side and was forced to sit up in anger.

 

“What did you do that for!” He yelled, rubbing where that claw had pierced him.

 

“Stop being all gloom and doom! Your endless angst is driving me insane!” Computer yelled, poking him in the chest this time. Courage swatted it away like a bug.

 

He fired back with an angry, gibberish filled voice. “Ububbubbubbba!”

 

“Oh, don't start with me again, idiot! You just ranted about all this like ten minutes ago! I already told you, you worry too much! Muriel is NOT going to feel any better if you just sit around and mope constantly!”

 

“ARRRUUUU!”

 

“Oh yeah, real childish insult there, twit! Is that really all you've got? If you weren't a complete pansy you would have figured out how to make Muriel happy again by now! But guess what? You so utterly fail at everything that you can't even do something as simple as that! Once a twit, always a twit, as I say.”

 

Courage couldn't take it anymore. Computer reaffirming all of his own feelings of failure was enough to make him reach his breaking point. He burst into tears, wailing like a child. He didn't care if Computer would laugh at him. He couldn't take it anymore. He had failed Muriel in every way a proper dog could.

 

“Now you too?” The machine groaned. “First Muriel and now the twit. Great, just great! I will never understand why you organics do this crying thing, honestly!”

 

Courage ignored him and continued to sob.

 

“Hmmm, now what's the cure for this?” Computer asked himself rather quietly. “Oh yes...”

 

What Courage got next completely caught him off guard.....

 

**WHAM**

 

He fell backwards as stars danced in his eyes. Computer had punched him square in the muzzle, which was more like being hit with a steel rod...

 

“Uggggh.....” He moaned, clutching his head. The moment he could think straight again, anger filled his mind. He shot up and kicked the machine squarely in the monitor. Computer reeled back from the force of the kick. Whether he was shocked by the attack or not, his screen did not show it.

 

“Alright, that's it!” He growled. “Nobody hits a gentleman! En garde, you ingrate!” He stuck out a clawed arm like it were a sword.

 

“Gentleman? More like a stuck up jerk!” Courage yelled out between grit teeth.

 

“Oh really? That's all you have to say, coward?”

 

“Yeah, and you've got your monitor shoved so far up your hard drive that-”

 

“Oh ho, getting touchy, aren't we?” Computer laughed.

 

Courage jumped at the machine. He collided with his monitor and sent them both tumbling to floor. Computer clamped a claw around his neck and picked him up like a sack of potatoes.

 

“Let me go!” He shrieked, flailing around helplessly.

 

His foot collided with Computer's monitor once again and the machine dropped him. He didn't get a chance to stand back up though as another powerful punch connected with muzzle and left him laying on the ground half dazed. He whimpered in terror, realizing that he was losing. He tried to crawl away but another metal claw grabbed his head and smashed it back down onto the floor. He was pinned and Computer wasn't relenting at his attack.

 

“Hahaha! You can't even fight properly!” The machine laughed. “And you actually thought you could beat me?” He seemed far more amused than he was angry. In fact, he didn't even seem to realize he had taken their fight just a little too far.

 

Courage whimpered again, tears once more running down his muzzle. He was terrified now. Computer still had his head pinned to the ground and he could crush it like a grape if he really wanted to.

 

“What are you doing that for?” The machine asked, his tone changing from triumph to confusion. “I won and you lost. Don't be such a sore loser, you twit!”

 

Courage whimpered again and began to tremble.

 

“W-wha?” Computer asked, thoroughly confused at Courage's behavior. He had probably expected him to be angry, not terrified like this.

 

“Y-you win, o-okay?” Courage stuttered out in a small voice. “P-please, j-just let me g-go...”

 

The machine continued to stare at him, well, as much as a monitor could manage, and then he began to loosen his grip. “Well, if you're going to be such a spoil sport then...” He said. His tone was still filled with confusion. “So long as you promise not to take anymore pot shots at me, alright?”

 

The moment he was released from Computer's grip, Courage shot forward and hid himself under the bed. He pushed himself up against the wall and then curled up into a ball.

 

“Dog?” He heard the machine say.

 

He opened an eye to find Computer awkwardly lowered to the ground so that his monitor could see under the bed. It lit the whole place up with an eerie greenish-blue light. He was too big to fit under the bed and Courage was admittedly thankful for that.

 

“What's your problem, dog? I was only messing with you!” He said.

 

Courage shut his eyes and turned away.

 

“I thought you organic creatures smack each other around when you're depressed?” He asked. “I mean, I've seen it all the time in movies and literature before.”

 

Still no response...

 

“You're not seriously going to stay down there, are you?”

 

Courage gave him a muffled groan but nothing else.

 

“Alright, whatever. Guess I'll just have to sit here then.” He let out a sigh. “First time I've been mobile in ages and now I'm going to have to waste it doing exactly what I always do, sitting around. Thanks a lot, twit.”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	15. Computer Antics

Chapter 15: Computer Antics

 

“You're not seriously just going to sit there and be all mopey?” Computer asked, tapping a metal foot on the floor. He waited several seconds before growing impatient again. “You aren't listening, are you? I've been talking for nearly ten minutes now and you haven't heard a word I said!” The machine lowered himself down to try and get a better look at the dog again.

 

Courage stirred a bit upon the dark area being lit up but he did not speak.

 

“I hope you plan on giving up this little tirade sometime tonight. This could seriously mess with my plans for tomorrow.” He paused a moment, expecting a reply from Courage. He got nothing accept silence yet again. “Ugh! I'd be a bit more grateful if I were you!” He snapped.

 

Courage groaned but did nothing else. He just wanted to sleep and Computer wasn't letting him. He felt even more tired then ever before and his emotions were in a fray. Why couldn't that darn machine just stop talking?

 

“Alright, alright, so maybe I _did_ punch you, but you kicked me back so it's a fair trade!” Computer continued. “You could have broken something, you know! Everything else was merely self defense against your rampant idiocy! Maybe I got just a tiny, TINY bit carried away but whatever!”

 

“Abarufu...” Courage muttered, drawing himself into a tighter ball.

 

“Fine, I'm just going to have to do this the hard way, aren't I?” He sighed.

 

Courage raised his head wearily at Computer's words. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the bed began to pull away from the wall, leaving him completely exposed.

 

“RRAAAAGGHHHH!!!!!!” He screamed, scrambling to get back under the bed. Computer, thankfully, didn't react quickly enough to grab him.

 

Oh, for the love of...” He groaned. He reached a claw down to try and grab him but even without a wall to protect him, the pup still managed to evade his every attempt.

 

“Leave me alone!” Courage yelled as he dodged another claw reaching out to get him.

 

“For goodness sake, dog! I have half the mind to just tip the bed over but I can't do that or else you'll start sobbing like a little girl again! I don't see what your problem is, I didn't do _anything_ wrong!” He huffed.

 

“Abubublu!” He fired back. He couldn't help but get angry now. How could Computer continue to blame everyone but himself for his antics?

 

“Come on, dog! You can't stay down there forever!” He yelled, growing frustrated again. He lowered himself down to the floor once more and continued to chew Courage out with his every word. “I don't see why you adore that old woman so much! She's just another human after all! Those meat bags are all alike! They will always abandon you in the end, always! Besides, you've got more things to be depressed about than _her_! And guess what? I bet she wasn't even planning on staying with you once she dumped you off at that vet office! See what I mean? She will inevitably abandon you when you need her the most!”

 

Courage raised his head again and gazed over at the machine. He wanted to argue that Muriel would never _ever_ abandon him but he didn't want to start another needless fight. He let his head sink back down onto the floor and sighed.

 

“Trust me! I know this from experience! You're setting yourself up for disaster, kid!” He continued. He was starting to sound more and more desperate. “And besides, she's not the one doing anything to help you, now is she? She isn't the one trying to save your wimpy, ungrateful hide!”

 

A long silence followed. Computer had probably expected him to say something by now. He finally seemed to hit his limit. “Alright, fine then! I guess I _will_ leave you to rot down there! I hope you're happy, idiot! Can't say that I didn't try!”

 

Courage opened an eye in surprise at Computer's anger. He have the machine a pitiful look before lowering his head again.

 

“Alright, alright!” He snapped. “I'm _sorry_ , now will you please come out?” He, of course, didn't actually sound sorry though. “I swear you're going to be the end of me!” And with that he lowered a claw down to him, showing that he wanted to help him out.

 

Courage glanced over at him. “I'm just...really, really tired right now.” He admitted. “Can't you just let me rest for a bit?”

 

“You were....tired?” Computer asked, completely bewildered. “Why on earth didn't you say so! What was the point of making me go through that whole tirade!”

 

“Sorry...” Courage choked out.

 

“Will you please come out at least? Sleeping down there can't be comfortable after all.”

 

Courage nodded weakly and managed to drag himself out from under the bed. He was so exhausted that his limbs felt like they were made out of iron. He only managed to stand for a moment before his muscles seemed to give out and he would have fallen if not for a metal arm catching him just at the last moment.

 

“Thanks.” He muttered out halfheartedly. He could barely keep his eyes open anymore and he just couldn't stop his body from shaking. It was an amazement that he hadn't suffered from an attack yet.

 

“You don't look so good.” Computer commented quietly. “So much for keeping your energy up, huh?”

 

He nodded and gave him a small, 'yeah', but that was all he could manage. Computer helped him up into bed and he plopped down onto the pillow without another sound.

 

Computer's voice only vaguely registered in the back of his mind as he drifted off. “Keep it together, Courage. We've got a long way to go and you must hold out for as long as possible.”

 

He subconsciously flinched at his name being used again but it was quickly forgotten as he drifted off to sleep. He felt a blanket fall over him and then there was nothing...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	16. The Gift

Chapter 16: The Gift

 

It happened yet again....

 

Courage's restless sleep was plagued with nightmares, each and every one taking advantage of his worries. His mind seemed to play out every horrible scenario it could come up with as he tossed and turned in bed.

 

...He was strapped to a table with that awful vet leering down at him once again. He struggled, but the bindings were too tight. The vet pulled out his giant syringe, laughing gleefully. It was just like what had happened last time.

 

“Better say goodbye while you've still got a chance, dog!” The vet laughed as he gestured over to a corner.

 

Courage strained his neck to get a better look and his eyes widened at the sight of what he found. It was his parents! He would have been overjoyed to see them, even under these circumstances, but they were both crying and they looked so disappointed.

 

“I can't believe we have a defective son!” His mother sobbed.

 

“I-I'm not defective.” He whimpered. “M-mom?” He weakly choked out when she would not look at him.

 

“Where did we go wrong?” His father sighed, hugging his mother closer.

 

“I-I didn't mean to get sick.” He gently tried to reason with them. Try as he might, he couldn't hold back the tears forming in his eyes. He'd never thought that he'd one day see them so...upset over what he never had any control over in the first place.

 

“Heheheh, it looks like they bred a sickly, little runt!” The veterinarian chuckled, his voice growing more and more ominous with every word he spoke. “Well, you're one more defect that I plan to correct!”

 

Courage squeezed his eyes shut as the cruel old doctor raised the syringe. He waited for the feeling of cold metal to pierce his skin, but it never came....and then....

 

_**BANG!** _

 

He let loose a scream and found himself so hopelessly tangled up in the blanket that he had been sleeping under that as he thrashed around trying to escape it, he ended up toppling out of the bed. He hit the ground head first and laid there for several moments, too dazed to figure out what had happened. Another loud bang rocked the old farmhouse and it was then that he realized that it was storming outside. Rain hammered the window like it was a monster trying to get inside and the violent, howling wind was making the farmhouse creak and groan like it had gained a life of its own. He blinked, still partly dazed, and wondered what time it was. Obviously night had fallen, but just how late was it?

 

“We certainly could have used this thunderstorm before, wouldn't you say?” Computer drawled from somewhere unseen.

 

Courage looked around, first checking the top of the desk and then turned to find Computer sitting at the edge of the bed, on the opposite side of where he had been sleeping.

 

“Wha.-” He just barely managed to utter out, still half asleep.

 

“They said there wasn't going to be any rain all week so of course it goes and starts to storm right after we needed it. Stupid lightning.” The machine grumbled. He was laying there as though he were still sitting atop the desk, although his six spider-like legs were splayed out rather carelessly, as though he hadn't really noticed or cared where they would drop when he had 'sat down'.

 

Courage let out a massive yawn and crawled back up into the bed. He was still tired, despite his supposed nap, and he wanted to make sure that he was rested up before their trip to the vet. After all, if something went wrong, this would be his _final_ trip to the vet.

 

“You know,” Computer drawled once more, just as Courage was settling back down under the covers. “You talk a lot in your sleep.”

 

Courage winced. Just how much had Computer heard him say as he tossed and turned in his sleep? How much of his nightmare had slipped through?

 

“I, um...” He muttered out somewhat sheepishly.

 

“You're not defective or anything.” Computer spoke, saying it so causally that he might as well have been discussing something that he had seen in a newspaper. “Some of the top bred dogs get your condition and I doubt anyone would dare to say that _they_ are defective.”

 

Courage suppressed a whine and buried his muzzle deeper into the pillow. Another clap of thunder made him jump. How was he ever going to get back to sleep with all this noise? Normally on nights like these, he'd curl up in the space between Muriel and Eustace's pillow. He closed his eyes and tried to make his mind relax, but another sound caught his attention. He sat up, unable to ignore the sound, and found Computer flicking a yo-yo up and down in one of his claws. Courage recognized it almost immediately. It was his lucky yo-yo! He hadn't seen that thing in months! At least, not since he had last buried it somewhere out back. Actually, that had been right before he got sick, back when he could dig without-

 

Rather than think about the uplesent beginnings of his illness, he asked, “Where the heck did you find that?”

 

Computer couldn't have seriously gone and dug it up, could he?

 

“This?” He asked, raising the yo-yo. “Behind the toilet.” He answered in a nonchalant tone.

 

Courage cringed. “What were you doing behind the toilet?”

 

Computer ignored the question and went back to flicking the yo-yo up and down, his screen staying trained upon it the whole time.

 

As if his new found curiosity wasn't weird enough already....

 

“That's my yo-yo, you know.” He continued when Computer didn't speak up. “It's helped me out a lot, especially whenever I needed to save Muriel. I've always considered it like, I don't know, a lucky charm?”

 

“Lucky?” Computer scoffed. “I'm afraid your life is well and thoroughly lacking in any luck. I'd be hard pressed to call this stupid object lucky.” He tossed the thing to Courage, having apparently completely lost interest in it.

 

Courage stared down at the yo-yo for a moment and then a funny idea crossed his mind. He looked back up at Computer and decided that he was indeed going to go through with his strange idea.

 

“Um...Computer?” He asked.

 

“What do you want now, twit?” The machine replied in an exasperated tone. “Don't you have some sleeping to do or something?”

 

“I want you to have it.” He said, presenting the yo-yo to him.

 

“Er, what?” He asked, confusion clear in his voice. “Why? I told you already, I don't think that thing is lucky!”

 

“It's not much, but I want to give it to you as a 'thank you' for all the things you've been doing for me.” He gave the machine a sincere smile.

 

Computer seemed to be at a loss for words. “Isn't it important to you?”

 

“Yeah, but I want you to have it now.”

 

Computer slowly reached out and grabbed the yo-yo from him. His screen gazed down at the object clasped in his claws and then looked back up at Courage. He did this several times, as though he couldn't comprehend the notion of being given a gift. He seemed outright stunned.

 

“Well, erm, thank you, twit.” He said, adding in the 'twit' almost as an afterthought.

 

“I bet that must have really hurt to say.” Courage snickered.

 

“You have no idea....” He sighed, placing the yo-yo down onto the bed.

 

With that out of the way, Courage let his head plop back down onto the pillow. He groaned and stretched his entire body out. He still ached everywhere and no amount of rest seemed to make it any better.

 

“You're still not well yet, are you?” He heard Computer ask.

 

“No.” He groaned, shifting around again.

 

“Hmm, you know what? I think I have an idea.”

 

“Oh, uh, really?” Courage asked, slowly sitting back up again. What on earth could Computer possibly do to help him with his illness?

 

“Follow me.” The machine commanded, standing up onto his six legs and jumping down off the bed with a metallic thunk. He made his way over to the door and gestured at Courage to follow after him.

 

“Wait!” Courage exclaimed. “We can't go out there! Muriel and Eustace might wake up!”

 

“Just keep quiet and your owners won't notice a thing!”

 

“We can't risk it!” Courage sharply whispered.

 

“Trust me on this!”

 

“The last time I trusted you, you got me into trouble!” He shot back, but it was no good, Computer was already out the door. With a groan, he jumped off the bed and followed after him.

 

“Computer!” He called out in a harsh whisper, desperately trying to keep Muriel and Eustace from hearing him. It was no use though, Computer ignored him as he skittered down the hallway on his robotic legs. Fighting back another groan, Courage raced after him as quickly and quietly as he could manage.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	17. Lethal Cooking

Chapter 17: Lethal Cooking

 

“Computer, come on!” Courage whispered to the machine. He was already halfway down the hall.

 

“Zip it!” Computer whispered back. “It's you who's going to wake them up!”

 

Courage raced down the hallway as quietly as he could. Muriel and Eustace were snoring but he was terrified that they'd hear them talking and wake up. If he was caught running around with Computer again they'd assume he'd lost his mind.

 

He glared at Computer but he was still being ignored regardless. They both managed to sneak past the bedroom without disturbing Muriel or Eustace and soon they were both free to climb down the staircase.

 

“Just what are we doing?” Courage asked, annoyed that he'd have to go up and down the staircase again.

 

“I'm going to try something that should make you feel a little better. You're going to need energy.” Computer said as they reached the living room.

 

“What are you going to do exactly?” Courage asked. The machine whirled around stopped him in his tracks.

 

“You wait here, dog. I'll be back in just a couple of minutes.” He spoke, turning back around and heading into the kitchen.

 

Utterly confused, Courage sat down in Eustace's chair and watched as the storm continued to rage outside. Lightning was the only thing illuminating the room and it was so frequent that it might as well have been a lamp. He could hear Computer doing ' _something'_ in the kitchen but whatever it was, he couldn't guess. He was just about to close his eyes and try to rest when he heard the sound of Muriel's mixer starting up in the kitchen.

 

“What the heck?” He asked, gazing over at the kitchen door. Just what on earth was Computer up to?

 

The sound of the mixer went on for several more minutes before the kitchen fell quiet again and the clinking of dishes could be heard. Courage had half the mind to go see what he was up to but didn't get a chance as the door swung open not five seconds later.

 

“It's done!” Computer spoke, sounding rather proud of himself. He was covered in _something_ but Courage couldn't tell what. He had a horrible feeling that the machine had just made a mess of the kitchen...

 

He jumped off the chair and entered through the door, unsure of what to expect. Just as he had suspected, it was terrible. The table was a mess, the counter was a mess, _everything_ was a mess. Food was scattered everywhere and something brown and smelly was caked all over the walls. His mouth fell open and he turned towards Computer.

 

The machine nabbed a bowl off the table and brought it over to him. His nose nearly fell off from the smell coming from it. It smelt like Eustace's socks dipped in raw sewage....

 

“Ugh, what is that!” He yelped, turning away.

 

“Food you flesh creatures eat!” Computer replied, completely oblivious to the horror that he had just created. “I did some research and this concoction holds all the nutritional value a dog like yourself would need. It should give you a good jolt of energy and make you feel less sick.”

 

“It smells horrible!” Courage choked out as he pinched his nose shut.

 

“Who cares about smell! Smell is overrated! I've never done it once in my life!” Computer replied loudly, still as oblivious as ever.

 

“It looks disgusting!” He continued. The brown paste within the bowl almost seemed to move of it's own accord, begging someone to put it out of it's misery. He didn't even _want_ to think about how it might taste.

 

“Are you kidding me, dog? _All_ of your organic food looks disgusting to me. You eat each other for goodness sake!”

 

“Then maybe you're not really qualified to make food.” Courage replied weakly. He hoped he could worm his way out of this. He was growing more and more nauseous by the second...

 

“Nonsense! This holds all the nutritional value you need! It _must_ be good for you!”

 

“What might be good for me and what's actually edible are two totally different things, you know!” He argued.

 

“Hmph! I try to do something nice for an idiot like you and you can't even have the good manners to be nice back!”

 

“I'm not eating that!” Courage fought.

 

Computer continued on his tirade. “All I wanted to do was try and make sure the twit doesn't drop dead from his illness! Silly me trying to do a _good_ thing for a change!”

 

Courage insides writhed with disgust “Alright, alright! I'll try it!” He choked out, still overwhelmed by the smell. He couldn't believe he was actually going to do this...

 

“Good! The sooner you get your energy back the better!”

 

He stared down at the awful smelling stuff. His stomach was screaming 'NO!' at him as he looked at it. He grabbed the spoon that was already in the bowl and picked up some of the disgusting ooze. It stuck to it like taffy....

 

He could barely even look at it because of how bad the stench was making his eyes water. Whining pitifully, he opened his mouth and stuck it in. He swallowed, desperately trying not to taste it. His body instantly rejected it before it could even touch his stomach.

 

“Where are you going?” Computer called out as he made a break for the back door.

 

He clamored out into the storm and his stomach immediately evacuated everything he had eaten that day. It was desperately trying to purge the abomination that Computer had forced him to eat.

 

He could hear the machine yelling at him from the open door. “You're doing it wrong, you twit! You're supposed to keep it in your stomach, not expel it!”

 

It felt like hours before his gut finally stopped wrenching. Just thinking about that taste made him go into another vomiting fit, even when there was nothing left to gag out. Wet, cold, and tired, he decided to take his chances and go back into the house. He slammed the door shut, soaked to the bone, and glared at Computer.

 

“ _Never_ make me eat your cooking again!” He growled.

 

“Obviously that didn't work.” The machine replied, sounding annoyed at Courage's less than pleasant response. “Maybe I should try...”

 

“NO! Nothing else! Not after that!” He yelled. He didn't think his stomach could handle anymore.

 

“Alright, alright! Keep your fur on, you twit!” Computer relented.

 

He sighed and relaxed a bit. “I'm going to go rest. Could you clean up in here?”

 

“Of course.” He still sounded annoyed that his mushy paste hadn't worked. “Don't you think that maybe...”

 

“No! I don't want to be your guinea pig anymore!”

 

“But, dog...” He continued.

 

Courage was just about to argue back when the kitchen door swung open, shutting them both up. He felt his entire body turn to ice. Eustace tromped his way into the kitchen....

 

“Just what's going on down here?” He asked. His expressionless face slowly turned to Computer who was still standing there.

 

“Oh, dear...” The machine muttered softly.

 

Courage tried to find his voice and said rather sheepishly to the old man, “Um, Aru?”

 

Eustace was not amused, he placed both his hands on his hips and opened his mouth to speak but then they were both surprised when Computer stepped forward, completely of his own violation, and began to talk.

 

“Uh, hi? I guess...” He began. “I do believe we've met before. I, er, was laughing manically, took over your body, got it smashed into a thousands pieces. Actually, I, um, I'm kinda hoping you _don't_ remember that....”

 

Courage's mouth fell open.

 

Eustace's eyebrows narrowed angrily. It was obvious that he hadn't taken Computer's introduction very well...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	18. Under The Mallet

Chapter 18: Under The Mallet

 

Eustace glared down at Computer. “What's with the funny accent? Stupid kids! If you're going to come to this country, learn how to speak the god darn language! And whatever you're selling, we don't want any!”

 

Yep, Courage was convinced that they were doomed....

 

“You've got to be kidding me!” Computer groaned. “He seriously thinks that I'm speaking a different language?”

 

“That's it! I'm gettin' me mallet! Ain't having no intruders in my house!” The old farmer yelled, going off to find his trusty, oversized mallet.

 

“You've got to tell him what's going on!” Courage yelped. “He never understands me, but he'll listen to you!”

 

Computer's monitor slowly swerved around. He didn't even need a face to express his seething snark. “He thinks that I'm speaking another language. I just can't work with this level of stupidity. You're on your own, kid.”

 

“We've got to try something!” He cried out.

 

Eustace rammed the door back open again. He now held his gigantic mallet and brandished it threateningly at Computer.

 

“Alright! Either you get or else I'll make you get!”

 

Computer sighed, as though he couldn't believe that he was actually trying to talk to someone so stupid. “Look, I'm trying to help Courage. I obviously can't do that if you bash my monitor in.”

 

Eustace's response was to swing his mallet, which Computer promptly dodged.

 

“Don't you want me to help him?” He called out to the old man, all while dodging another swing of the mallet.

 

Courage felt his heart drop as it became painfully obvious that Computer wasn't going to convince Eustace of anything.

 

“We....don't....want...any!” The old man yelled, swinging his mallet this way and that. Computer was just barely keeping out of its way.

 

“Um, yeah, twit? I don't think this is working.” He called out, dodging another blow.

 

Courage placed a paw to his chin as he tried to think. “Maybe I could...LOOK OUT!”

 

Eustace swung his mallet once more, and before Computer could leap out of the way, it made contact with the side of his monitor, sending him flying into a wall. Courage's jaw hit the floor. Several seconds passed and the spidery machine did not get back up.

 

“Oh, no!” The poor pup gasped.

 

Eustace lowered his mallet, gasping for breath. Swinging it around must have really taken it out of him. Computer remained unmoving, his tube-like legs sprawled out across the floor. The old man straightened himself back up again and began to converge upon the machine, much to Courage's horror. He didn't know if it was out of anger or a desperate desire to save Computer, but he rushed forward and bit down as hard as he could on Eustace's leg.

 

“AAARRRGGGH!” The farmer screamed, swinging his leg around and around, trying to get him off.

 

Courage held on for dear life, knowing that Eustace would have his head for this. They seemed to spin forever as the old man tried to regain his balance. Finally, with one great swing of his leg, Courage was sent flying. He hit a wall, just like Computer had, and instantly blacked out....

 

….........

 

It was cold. So cold.

 

How much time had passed, Courage didn't know, but it seemed like forever.

 

Though his head hurt immensely, he slowly opened his eyes. Light was shining in through a barred window and a strange smell filled his nostrils. He felt his head and found a large bump where he had hit the wall. He slowly rose up, looking over his surroundings, and then horror overtook him.

 

He was in a kennel, and it was no ordinary kennel either. He had seen this place before. There was no doubt in his mind, this was the Nowhere veterinarian office and he was trapped here. That awful, medical smell was as easily recognizable. It only helped to fill him with even more dread.

 

It was daytime now, judging by the sunlight, and it had to be Friday because there was no other day that it could be.

 

….He was going to be put to sleep soon.

 

He paced back and forth, unsure of how he had gotten here in the first place. His little brawl with Eustace must have knocked him out cold, but just how long had he been out? How long had he been lying in this kennel?

 

A whimper escaped his throat. Eustace and Muriel must have thought that he had finally gone crazy after biting Eustace's leg like that! They had probably taken him down while he was still knocked out, thinking that he might attack them again once he woke up!

 

He let his ears droop. What had become of Computer? Even if he was okay, what could he possibly do to help him now?

 

Courage slid down onto the floor, realizing that it was very unlikely that he could be saved now. He didn't know how much longer it would be until the veterinarians came for him, but he doubted that he would be able escape anyway. Placing a paw up against his head, he let out a groan. Just what was he going to do now?

 

End Of Chapter

 


	19. The Kennel

Chapter 19: The Kennel

 

Courage wandered back and fourth through his kennel, all while wondering how he could possibly escape this predicament. The vet's could show up to put him to sleep at any moment and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. He looked down and sniffed the two bowls they had left for him. The cheap dog food was soggy and the water smelled as if it had been sitting in there for ages. This place had an atmosphere of despair and tension to it. Every once in a while one of the dogs would let out a whimper or worse, they would start to howl loudly, often startling Courage. It took every fiber of his being not to outright panic. He didn't want to die in this place!

 

 _'Come on!'_ He thought to himself. _'If it were Muriel in trouble, you would have found a way out by now!'_

 

He grabbed the bars of his kennel and yanked at them as hard as he could. It was no use, they wouldn't budge. The small window shining sunlight down into his dark cell was too high up for him to reach and it was barred up as well. He had no way of escaping.

 

He sighed and slid down onto the cold floor. His head still ached viciously and he had to keep a paw up against it to keep the room from spinning. He silently cursed Eustace for putting him in this state. If only Computer were around to help him. He'd know what to do.

 

A loud, barking laugh from across the aisle made him jump. He stood up and inched closer to the bars out of curiosity. A bulldog was standing in the kennel across from him, laughing like a hyena. The crazed dog gave him a toothy grin and beckoned at him to get closer. His teeth were yellow and rotten. He looked very old but stood up on two legs like Courage normally did.

 

“So, what did they put you in here for?” The dog asked with a craggy voice. “Did your owners forget about you too? Or are you one of those dogs with 'behavior' problems?” He broke out into a coughing, hyena-like laugh again, causing Courage to cringe.

 

“Ummm...” He tried to stammer out but it was blocked out by the bulldog's mad laugh.

 

A man suddenly came into view as he walked past both of their kennels, startling Courage enough to make him jump. The man seemed to be some kind of janitor, clad in a dirty green wardrobe and a ratty brown hat. His face seemed to be screwed up in a permanent scowl, deepening the wrinkles on his sunken face.

 

Sneering, he smacked the bars of the bulldog's kennel. “Enough, you damn mutt!” He growled before stomping off again.

 

The bulldog's laughter slowly tampered off. “That would be the janitor and 'dog keeper', Rick. He prides himself as the only reason why no dog has ever escaped this place.”

 

Courage swallowed. “Nobody's ever escaped?” He asked in a tiny voice.

 

“Nobody.” The dog reaffirmed. “What? Were you planning on trying?”

 

“Well, yeah. I'm not supposed to be here.” He tried to tell the dog.

 

The bulldog let out another booming laugh. “Ha! That's what they all say!”

 

Courage doubted that he could reason with this strange dog. His head obviously wasn't in the right place anymore. It didn't surprise him much, all things considering. He had often heard rumors about the strange things kennels did to a dog's mind...

 

“Look over there.” The bulldog said, pulling his rather large head through the bars.

 

Courage did what he was told and looked over to where the bulldog was pointing. It was a single metal door and a strange sort of smell was coming from it. It smelled like doctors, chemicals, and something unidentifiable all put together.

 

The bulldog spoke in a deathly quiet voice. “When you go through that door, you never come back out. So unless a human comes to save you, you're doomed to go through the door. Not many people take dogs like us as pets, so don't get your hopes up.”

 

Courage's heart sank, realizing what that door symbolized. He needed to get out of here, and fast. He was about to withdraw back into his kennel when the bulldog shook his head and pointed at him to keep watching.

 

The door swung open, shining bright light into the dark and dank kennels. A vet stepped out into the room and that Rick guy went hobbling over to him. He handed the vet a clipboard and they both looked it over in silence. Finally, they both nodded to each other and Rick went over to a kennel right next to Courage.

 

The dog inside let out a high pitched yelp. Rick looked as if he wanted to kick the dog but was holding himself back. He grabbed the flailing pup with a look of disgust and pulled him out into the open. The dog was chanting something over and over again in such a fast voice that not even Courage could understand what he was saying.

 

“QUIET!” Rick shouted, but the dog still wouldn't let up.

 

“My owners still love me!” He cried out in his high pitched voice. “They're still coming back! I know they are! Please don't take me away! I need to wait for my owners!” He was repeating those words over and over again in a hysterical voice. He didn't stop chanting until they entered the white room and the steel door slammed shut behind them, drowning out his voice....for good. A painful silence quickly filled the room again.

 

The bulldog laughed, causing Courage to jump again. “Stupid kid actually thought his owners were coming back for him! Hahaha!”

 

Courage shrunk away. He decided he didn't like that bulldog very much. He sat down in the back of his kennel and stared up at the window, wondering if he would ever see the outside world again. His stomach began to rumble so trudged over to his bowl of dog food. He figured that since he might never eat again after this, he'd gulp down the disgusting food anyway. A prisoners last meal indeed.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	20. A Glowing Light

Chapter 20: A Glowing Light

 

The day quietly wore on as Courage sat huddled in his kennel. It had only gotten darker once the sun moved from his side of the building to the other. He had tried a few things to escape over the last few hours, but nothing worked. He had even pretended to be in pain, hoping that someone would open his kennel to take a look at him. He would have tried to make a run for it but nobody even bothered to come by and see what was wrong with him, much less open the door.

 

In every ten to twenty minutes that steel door would open and another dog would be sent away. There was almost always a lot of screaming and struggling. Few dogs faced their end with dignity. That old, cranky janitor would also bring in new dogs to fill the kennels of the old ones. They looked just as panicked and terrified as Courage knew he himself did. These were the sick, old, insane, dangerous, and unwanted animals. Shunned by their human partners and unwanted by others. To be put here meant that you were no longer good enough to live among the humans.

 

Despite his dislike of the insane bulldog, Courage had also decided to talk with him a little bit more so that he could figure out a few more things about this terrifying place. He knew vet's weren't the kindest people around, even with his bias against them because of what had happened to his parents, but surely they knew about the conditions these doomed dogs were forced to wallow around in! From the sound of it, there were two other kennel rooms in the building. The more 'desirable' dogs were kept in the others while the sick or unwanted dogs were kept in this one. People almost never were allowed to come into the room so the dogs trapped inside never had any hope of being adopted. Sometimes an older person would be let in to find an older, more sickly dog, but that was an exception. Nobody ever wanted the dogs that snapped at their owners, barked insistently, chewed on everything they could find, or lost control of their bladder at all the wrong moments. This place was essentially death row for anyone who was trapped inside its cages.

 

Things had started to get very cold without any sunlight. Courage's paws were going numb from the icy concrete floor. They didn't even bother to leave something for the dogs to sleep on. You had nothing but a little bit of open space to stretch out in and two bowls to eat and drink out of. That was it.

 

A loud banging sound caught his attention and then one of the dogs let out a shrill yelp. He cringed, wondering what could have happened to make it scream like that. Rick wasn't around to abuse any of the animals at the moment so maybe the dog was just hurting from something, probably an untreated illness that had landed him or her here in the first place.

 

Courage rubbed his paws together, trying to regain feeling in them. If those vets let him live over night, he was certain that he'd freeze to death long before they could put him down. Actually, he wouldn't be surprised if that tainted water and dog food didn't do him in first.

 

Another bang from somewhere made him jump. Perhaps a dog was trying to escape? Had they actually managed to do it? He went over to the bars of his kennel and stuck his head out as far as he could. There was nothing, not a single animal or human to be found. He sucked in his breath and pulled his head back through the bars.

 

Another bang...

 

He didn't bother to go look this time. Maybe it was just one of those crazy dogs bashing his head up against a wall. He wouldn't have put it past one of them to do exactly that. He sat down on the other side of his kennel, hoping to catch the last few rays of light, and sighed weakly. He continued to rub his paws together and that was exactly when he caught the soft sound of paws pattering across the stone floor. He blinked and stood up again. This new development renewed his faith in that maybe one of the dogs had escaped.

 

Walking over to the bars, he nearly jumped three feet into the air when something _glowing_ walked up to him. It was a dog...

 

He stared, his mouth slightly agape. For a moment his brain seemed to shut down. The dog in question was the same breed as he was. They looked almost identical outside of the fact that the glowing dog was a deep blue color and scowling angrily at him.

 

“Computer?” He asked weakly.

 

“I've finally found you!” Came Computer's voice from the dog. His scowling expression quickly turned into one of relief as he stared at the pup. “I thought I might have been too late!”

 

Courage continued to stand there, his mouth stuck open in shock.

 

Computer crossed his arms, a frown returning to his face. “What's your problem? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

 

“C-Computer?” He asked again, unable to believe what he was seeing. Hadn't Eustace bashed his monitor in before?

 

The machine waved a paw dismissively. “Obviously! How many other dogs glow in the dark? Bah, I'm not liking this at all!” He glanced down at his own body in disgust and stretched an arm out rather awkwardly. “This body is so ungainly!” He complained. “Humans are bad enough but dogs are even worse! How am I supposed to do anything with _these_!” He brought his paws up to his face and glared at the spindly, little appendages.

 

Courage ignored the question and managed to stutter out a few more words. “Y-you....you're okay...”

 

“Hardly!” He grumbled, grabbing one of his own ears and pulling at it. “I wake up to find myself in a garbage can, half my programming in shambles, covered in trash, and with a headache the size of Texas! You're nowhere to be found, I assume the worse, decide to trek halfway across Nowhere, got lost at least a billion times, had to hide from nearly a hundred humans, and now I've got to spend the rest of this trip stuck in an ungainly body like this one! At least humans have _thumbs_ for crying out loud!”

 

“I-I'm glad you made it.” Courage stammered out with relief. “This place is awful! They treat everyone in these cages like they're inmates on death row! I-I thought I was doomed....”

 

“Don't get too comfortable yet, twit. We've still got to get you out of here.”

 

“What about your real body?” Courage asked. Surely Computer wasn't leaving it around somewhere for anyone to pick up?

 

“Oh, that.” He said rather flatly. “I locked it up in an closet nearby.” He produced a ring with several keys on it. “I managed to grab this from that janitor person while he was napping in the lobby.”

 

“And what about me?” Courage asked, looking up at the lock on his door.

 

“That's a problem, actually.” Computer replied with a nonchalant shrug. “That man seems to know all the keys by heart because none of them are labeled and there are a _lot_ of them. It's a minor miracle that I even managed to find the right key to get to this dog.”

 

“Well, try every key until you find the right one! You've got to hurry though, that janitor could be back at any moment!”

 

“Right.” Computer nodded. “I'll just-”

 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF YOUR KENNEL!”

 

“Of course...” Computer muttered sarcastically. “This never can be easy, can it?”

 

He didn't even manage to take two steps back before Rick came crashing down the hallway. Cursing under his breath, the old janitor picked him up by the scruff of his neck and shook him angrily.

 

“How did you get out!” He growled. He stopped shaking him just long enough to get a better look at him. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the glowing, blue dog. “Dunno what's wrong with you.” He said, poking him in the stomach. “Ain't never seen a dog this strangely colored.”

 

Computer glared hatefully at the man. He didn't speak nor even try to struggle, he just watched cautiously as Rick looked him over. He probably had a _billion_ nasty things he wanted to say but must have been holding his tongue just to play it safe. Glowing or not, he _was_ supposed to be acting like a normal dog now.

 

Rick grinned, clearly savoring the dog's anger. He gave him one last shake before grabbing a ring of keys from his belt and opening Courage's kennel. He tossed Computer inside and slammed the door shut.

 

“Hope you're not the reason my keys are missing.” He threatened, tossing his newly produced ring up and down. “I've got spares, as you can see.”

 

With that he stomped away, not giving the two dogs another glance.

 

“Ugh, I'm getting too old for this....” Computer groaned. He had landed on his head upon getting tossed. “And now we're as good as stuck in here too...” He stood back up and brushed himself off.

 

Completely forgetting the horrible situation they were in, Courage flung himself forward, tackling the cynical machine into a hug. He couldn't help it, he was just so glad to have someone else in here with him. He wouldn't have to face this awful nightmare alone anymore and that was all that mattered at the moment.

 

“Ack! What are you doing? Get off!” Computer yelled, trying to pull the dog off of him. He reeled backwards and nearly crashed into the wall behind him as he escaped Courage's grip. “Don't you dare smother me like that, idiot!” He snapped.

 

Courage laughed at the machine's horrified expression.

 

“And...and STOP THAT!” He continued, still as outraged as ever.

 

Courage blinked. “What?” He asked.

 

“That!” Computer growled.

 

He gasped, realizing that his tail had been wagging the whole time and he hadn't even noticed it. He stopped, grinning sheepishly.

 

“It's...er....involuntary!” He laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

 

Computer continued to glare at him.

 

“How are we going to get out of here?” He asked. _Anything_ to change the current subject at hand would spare him the extra embarrassment.

 

Computer shook his head and shrugged. “There's no easy way out of this now. I've got these keys, but...” He trailed off.

 

“Just try them all! You'll eventually find the right one!”

 

He crossed his arms. “That's not the only thing though. That janitor is going to be on the lookout for us now. He already seems to be the paranoid type and if we get out again I'm sure he'll flip out. We need to find a way to get past him without being caught. If he gets these keys from us we really will be stuck in here.”

 

Courage sat back down and shivered. “I don't think we'll be able to just sneak away either.”

 

Computer nodded in agreement. “I need some time to think about this. I'm sure there's a way we could overpower that idiot or something. Humans are lumbering, awkward creatures after all. I bet he can be tripped up very easily.”

 

Courage shivered again. “Just hurry though. We'll freeze to death at this rate!”

 

The machine blinked, partly confused. He touched one of his own paws and shook his head. “So this is what being cold feels like?” He asked.

 

“You've....never been cold before?” Courage asked, surprised by this strange development. Computer always seemed so human at times that he often forgot that he really wasn't.

 

“Clearly!” He snapped. “What's the point of all this fur then? It doesn't feel very pleasant and it apparently doesn't do what it was made to do!”

 

“Oh, well....” Courage replied weakly. He didn't really understand how fur worked either.

 

“What? Am I doing something wrong?” The machine asked, still confused about all of this.“Does the fur need some internal prompting? Is there a bit of programming that needs to be switched on?”

 

“Er, dogs aren't machines you know”

 

“Obviously!” Computer dismissed him. “So how does it work then?”

 

Courage laughed sheepishly again. “I don't really know, actually.”

 

“You're kidding right? You _are_ a dog!” Computer sighed. “You organics make no sense at all!”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	21. The Not So Great Escape

Chapter 21: The Not So Great Escape

 

Nearly an hour passed as both Courage and Computer tried to come up with a plan for their escape. Courage was sitting on the floor, trying to warm himself up, while Computer was pacing back and forth with a paw on his chin.

 

“I may have an idea.” He spoke. “But it's not very good one, and-” He grinned. “You're not going to like it.”

 

Courage cringed at those words. “W-what? What do I need to do?”

 

“We're going to wait for them to come and take you. When that stupid janitor comes around to pick you up we'll rush him and knock him out. While he's down for the count we'll make our escape. Easy enough!”

 

Courage shook his head. Computer was right to think that he wouldn't like the idea. “We can't do that! What if it doesn't work? What if he manages to stop both of us? What then? He'll take me into that room and....”

 

“This is our best and only chance.” Computer interrupted. “If we can knock him out he won't be a problem for us anymore. There's no point in escaping if he just catches us again! He'll be completely off guard when he opens that door to get you and then we can rush him!”

 

Courage wanted to protest further but Computer was right, knocking out Rick would save them a lot of trouble. The old man _would_ probably have very a hard time fighting off the both of them.

 

“Trust me!” Computer went on. His overconfidence didn't inspire any enthusiasm in Courage but he was willing to go along with the plan regardless.

 

The day seemed to go by even more slowly now that they were waiting for Rick to return. There wasn't even any guarantee that they _would_ try to put down Courage today but that didn't stop his own nervousness knowing that one screw up would leave him strapped to a table and screaming out in agony as they pumped deadly chemicals into his body. He paced back and forth through the kennel, trying to sooth his nerves. The steel door hadn't opened in awhile but that didn't mean they were done for the day.

 

Finally, after another hour passed, the steel door did open up again and both dogs jumped with surprise. Courage had to fight back every ounce of instincts he had to keep himself from panicking.

 

“Ready?” Computer asked.

 

He nodded, taking a deep breath and hoping dearly that this wouldn't go wrong. Considering their current track record however...

 

Rick stomped out of the bright, white light, looking particularly unhappy. He glanced over at a clipboard attached to the wall and then scanned the various kennels. Cracking his knuckles, he walked forward, grinning maliciously. The gleeful janitor began to hum a happy little tune as he walked, stopping in front of their kennel. Courage shrunk away in terror. How he hated that man! How could he enjoy doing this to animals? How could he go about it with a smile on his face?

 

Computer tensed up, ready to pounce. He was probably eager to get his revenge after how much Rick had shaken him up before.

 

“It ain't your turn yet.” The old man spoke, still grinning like a maniac. “But you're a trouble maker, I can tell.”

 

It took a moment for Courage to realize that Rick was talking about Computer alone. He hadn't so much as glanced over at him yet. He might as well have not been there at all.

 

“Trouble makers get dealt with.” He continued. “So you're being moved up on the list.”

 

He reached over and unlocked the kennel. Sneering, he leaned down to grab Computer, and...

 

“GO!” The machine yelled, lunging at the janitor.

 

With a swift flick of his hand, Rick snatched the glowing dog right out of the air. Courage tackled his leg, hoping to knock him over, but failed to so much as sway the old man. He seemed to be far more fit then any man his age had the right to be. He lifted his leg and kicked Courage into the back of his kennel. Computer flailed around in an effort to get him to let go of his neck but Rick's grip was like iron and held him fast.

 

“Hehehe!” He laughed. “Thought you could outsmart me, hmm? No dog has escaped me in over thirty years! What made you think you could pull it off?”

 

“Uh, Courage...” Computer spoke, the full implications of what was about to happen to him hitting him like a ton of bricks.

 

Pulling himself out of a daze, Courage raced forward to stop the janitor. He was greeted by the metal bars being swung back into place and locking with a click. “Oh, no!” He whimpered.

 

“Trouble makers get made an example of!” Rick yelled, turning the glowing dog this way and that to show the other dogs. “Nobody escapes, nobody! And if you try, you'll be dealt with immediately!”

 

Courage grabbed the bars and shook them. He had to help Computer before it was too late! “ARRRUUU!!!” He cried, trying to get the old janitor's attention.

 

Computer gave him a helpless glance. Rick continued to swing him around, ranting on and on about what would happen to disobedient dogs.

 

“That's enough, Rick!” A voice called out.

 

Courage pulled his head though the bars and saw that there was a vet standing in the doorway of that bright, white room. His arms were crossed and he was looking particularly annoyed.

 

“They're just dogs!” He went on. “They aren't out to get you! Hurry up and bring that one over here! You're holding up the line and we can't call it a night until-”

 

“I know, I know!” The irate janitor snapped. He shook Computer one last time before tromping forward.

 

“D-dog, I could use a little help!” The machine yelped, glancing back over at him one last time.

 

Grumbling under his breath, Rick handed Computer over to the vet. He made one last feeble attempt to pull himself away but it was no use. Courage could only watch, terrified, as the steel door slammed shut.

 

 _'No, no, no, no!'_ He shouted over and over again in his mind. He had to do something! Anything!

 

He pushed on the bars as hard as he could. He had to get out! He couldn't let this happen! Try as he might, they wouldn't budge. He was as good as a stuck rat and Computer was the one with the keys!

 

“What are you doing, kid?” The bulldog asked. He pressed his saggy face up against his own bars. “You ain't gonna save your friend. Any dog who goes through that door doesn't come back out.”

 

Courage clenched his teeth together and pressed harder. If that were the case then Computer was going to be the first one to come out!

 

“Give it up, kid. You ain't going to break those bars. Your friend is as good as doggy treats!” The bulldog let out his barking laughing which only fueled Courage to push even harder.

 

He growled in anger. This wasn't working! He couldn't let that bulldog win, or Rick!

 

“Come on! Think of Muriel!” He told himself. “If it were her in danger, you'd be out of here by now!”

 

He backed himself all the way up against the wall and charged forward on all fours. He nearly gave himself a concussion upon hitting the bars but his pain hadn't been for nothing. He looked up and found that the hinge holding the lock in place had almost broken off because of his impact.

 

“Yes!” He cried out before backing up to hit the door again.

 

This time the door came crashing open as he rammed into it. He didn't even take the time to stop, he just bolted straight for the metal door. He pushed it open as fast as his paws would let him and then he was bathed in that bright, white light....

 

“There's no way you can't understand me!” Computer yelled. “How many dogs have you brought in here that could speak English too? How many have you ignored? You humans are all the same! You only hear what you want to hear!”

 

Courage's eyes adjusted to the light. The room was a painfully sterile white, devoid of anything except a few medical objects. Three veterinarians were huddled around a metal table. Two were keeping Computer pinned down, who was currently struggling against their grip, and the third was preparing the deadly injection.

 

“Ugh, let go! You can't do this to me!” The machine shouted, desperately trying to get one of his limbs free. “I'm not some stray mutt! You can't just-”

 

“SHUT UP!” One of them yelled, taking his one free hand and punching Computer square in the stomach. He hit him hard enough to knock the wind out of a full grown human, much less a tiny dog.

 

“St...stupid humans....” He growled through grit teeth. His usual haughty nature seemed to melt away as his fate drew nearer. He stopped struggling, a calm sort of acceptance falling over him. He stared up at the vets who were holding him down, his expression unreadable. As hard as it was to believe, he appeared to have accepted his fate.

 

The third vet raised the syringe. “I won't miss this loudmouth.” She said, rolling her eyes.

 

Computer cringed, glancing away. It seemed that all of his usual bravado had faltered completely in the face of his own death. Just as they were lowering the needle into his arm, Courage jumped forward and knocked the third vet to the ground. The syringe went flying, never getting a chance to empty its contents into Computer's arm.

 

“The hell?” One of the secondary vets asked. The two of them both let go of Computer long enough to help the third back up and that was all the machine needed to scramble off the table and get away from them as fast as he could. He landed next to Courage, looking unusually flustered.

 

“Dog, how on earth did you...” He tried to ask.

 

“I, uh...just used my head!” Courage laughed, knowing fully well that Computer wouldn't understand.

 

“Maybe I'm just new to this whole 'needing to be rescued thing', but don't you think you were cutting it a little bit close?” He asked in a huff.

 

“I think we've got bigger problems to worry about.” Was his reply. He took several steps back, ears drooping.

 

All three vets were back on their feet and glaring angrily at the two dogs. The biggest guy was cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

 

“Got any ideas?” He asked Computer.

 

“Running would be a great start.” Was his answered.

 

With that they both split up, running in the opposite direction of each other. There wasn't exactly a lot of room to run though and it seemed that the three vets had more of a grudge on Computer as they all went after him instead of Courage.

 

“Why me? Why is it always me?” He complained. They were easily catching up with him as they made circles around the room.

 

Courage climbed up onto the counter where they stored all of their tools and grabbed one of those large metal trays that they put medical equipment on. He waited for one of the three of them to get closer and....

 

_**WHAM** _

 

He bashed the sheet down on top of one of the vets head, knocking him out cold.

 

Unfortunately, the other two vets were on him like a pack of wolves. The female picked him and struck him across the muzzle. He cried out in agony and she dropped him on the floor, where her companion got a good kick in.

 

“Hey, idiots!” Computer called out.

 

They both turned and gasped at the same time. Courage looked up, ignoring the pain throbbing through his muzzle. Computer was holding up a red, plastic box with a hazard sign on it. Courage blinked, wondering why the vets cared so much about it.

 

“I've got used syringes and I know how to use them!” The machine yelled, causing both of the vets to gasp yet again.

 

“Hey, man! Watch what you're doing with those things!” The male vet cried out, backing up.

 

Courage had no idea why they were so afraid of used needles but he used the distraction to trip up the female vet. He then knock her out too with the metal sheet she had dropped on the floor just moments ago. The final male vet seemed to lose his nerve and made a run for the door. Computer jumped out in front of him before he could make his escape.

 

“Oh no you don't!” He growled, brandishing the red box like a weapon and causing the man to squeal like a little girl.

 

“P-please! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't contaminate me!” The man yelped, backing away yet again.

 

Computer glared at him. “How about you knock yourself out too? Then you can be like your little friends! I suggest you hit yourself as hard as you hit me...or else.” He waved the red box threateningly.

 

The guy's eyes widened. “Wha-”

 

“Alright, I guess you want me to contaminate you then.” He reached down to pull the lid up off the box.

 

“No! Alright, I'll do it!” The man cried. He made his hand into a fist, glanced down at the two dogs, then back up at his fist, and finally punched himself as hard as he could. He spiraled backwards before collapsing to the ground.

 

“Heh, idiots.” The machine laughed. He dropped the box onto the floor and made his way over to the knocked out man. He gave him a sound kick to make sure he really was knocked out and shrugged.

 

“Are you alright?” Courage asked, jumping down off the counter to join him.

 

The machine scowled. “I almost came _this_ close to meeting _your_ fate! How do you think I feel! Honestly!” He huffed. “I think I'm going to have to start charging you money for my help because what I'm getting is _not_ worth it!”

 

Courage shrugged. “At least I managed to save you in time.”

 

“We wouldn't even be here in the first place if it wasn't for you and your stupid illness!” Computer shot back angrily.

 

“Well, what now?” He replied, hoping that he could change the subject.

 

“We've still got one problem left.” Computer said, turning towards the door.

 

“The janitor....” Courage groaned. They still had to do something about him and he was very obviously good at stopping dogs.

 

“This could get messy.” Computer warned him.

 

“What about this _hasn't_ been messy?” Courage asked, glancing over at the knocked out veterinarians. He was not looking forward to this...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	22. Courage's Courage

Chapter 22: Courage's Courage

 

“I've got a feeling that our new friend isn't just going to let us waltz out of here.” Computer spoke. “We need to find a way to stop him from catching us because we obviously couldn't overpower him before.”

 

Courage tapped his foot as he tried to think of something. “Hey, why don't we free the other dogs? They could help us!”

 

Computer groaned. “No, no, no! Save the heroics for when I'm not stuck with you! What makes you think they'd help us if they were in our position? Every dog for themselves and all that other nonsense!”

 

“We can't just leave them here to be picked off one by one! If we help them, they'll help us in return!"

 

Computer sighed. “I see that your heart is set, as usual. I suppose I can't argue. They _could_ be useful in getting rid of that janitor.”

 

“Good!” Courage exclaimed. “I've got an idea, so listen up.”

 

“I can't believe I'm finally seeing the day where you're the one telling _me_ what to do.” He complained.

 

Courage gave him a brief glare but then continued. “I need you to distract the janitor. Give me your keys and I'll work on getting everybody out of here. I'll need as much time as possible since matching up the right key with the right door is going to be pretty hard to do. There are two other kennel rooms as well, so this is going to take a little while. ”

 

Computer flung his arms up into the air and huffed, “I'm a computer, not a punching bag! I've already received a thousand bruises and I haven't even been in this body for more than a day! That man will turn me into his own personal stress ball!”

 

“All you've gotta do is keep him from catching you. He can't turn you into a punching bag if he can't get his hands on you.”

 

Computer slapped his forehead. “Why did I ever sign up for this? Why couldn't I have been a microwave? They never have to deal with this kind of nonsense!”

 

“Stop complaining! We've got to hurry! These guys will probably wake up soon!” Courage glanced over at the unconscious veterinarians and shuttered.

 

“Alright, alright. Let's get this over with.” Computer sighed with a shake of his head. He clearly wasn't looking forward to this.

 

They both exited the room and were greeted by the ever gloomy kennels. A dead silence fell over it upon them entering. Every dog had their eyes on them. Computer gave Courage a quick glance but he was just as surprised by their reaction as he was.

 

Finally, a high pitched voice broke the silence. “They made it back through the Door! No dog has ever done it before! They're our saviors!”

 

Cheers rang out across the room and Courage couldn't help but smile. This almost felt like old times! It'd been a very long time since he'd had the energy to save the day.

 

Computer gave him a wry smile. “I suppose you're in your element now, aren't you? I'll leave you to it then.”

 

“Alright, everybody!” Courage called out to the dogs. “We're going to try and get you all out of here, so please cooperate!”

 

“Ugh, dog! You're doing it wrong!” Computer scolded him. “Listen up, you twits! If any of you give us a hard time, we'll leave you here and then you can deal with all these humans by yourself!” He stomped down the hallway, glaring at every single dog in their kennel. “I'm having a _really_ bad day, so don't you dare get on my bad side!”

 

“Wait!” Courage called out to him.

 

“What?” He asked, turning back around. “If I have to play punching bag, can't I at least get it over with?”

 

“I need those keys!”

 

Computer shook his head and tossed the ring over to him with a clatter. “Anything else you need, idiot?” He dryly asked.

 

“Yeah, your ego.” He joked.

 

This got him another annoyed sigh from Computer. “Making sarcastic quips is my job, you twit! Are you really trying to one-up me?”

 

“That's what happens when I get stuck spending so much time around you! It starts to rub off!”

 

“Oh, really?” The machine sarcastically laughed. “I'd say that you could gain some much needed IQ points by hanging around me.”

 

“Don't you have a janitor to battle?”

 

“Fine, fine.” He grumbled. “I suggest you make it quick though. I don't think our new friend will be very happy to see me.”

 

“Maybe you can snark him to death or something!”

 

“Oh yes, very funny.” The glowing dog replied with another roll of his eyes. Fed up with Courage, he turned on his heels and made his way over to the door.

 

Courage glanced down at the ring of keys. There were a lot of them, just like Computer had said. There was no way that he could pull this off in a timely manner. Rather than worry about it, he began testing the keys on one of the locks.

 

“You really are our savior!” A weird, bug-eyed dog exclaimed from within the kennel he was trying to unlock. The strange creature's voice was absolutely filled with adoration and reverence.

 

“I'm just....trying to do...what's.....right.” Courage replied between every switch of the keys. Finally, he found the right one and the door swung opened with a click.

 

“Thank you, savior!” The dog yelped, jumping out of his cell. He nearly tackled Courage to the ground, trying to kiss him.

 

“Yuck!” He exclaimed.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	23. Man Vs Dog

Chapter 23: Man Vs Dog

 

The janitor was hard at work writing up a report at his desk. The main office was completely quiet as nearly everyone had already gone home for the night. The sun hung low in the sky, bathing the room in a bright orange tint. Computer, who had just entered, cringed. He was _not_ looking forward to this.

 

He cleared his throat, trying to get the old man's attention. Rick looked up from his paper and an expression of complete shock fell over him. He clearly couldn't understand how a dog he had taken to be put down was still standing there, alive and very much out of his kennel.

 

“I do believe we have a score to settle.” Computer said, a small smile crossing his face at the sight of the dumbfounded janitor.

 

Rick jumped to his feet. “How did you get out of there?” He yelled. “You're supposed to be dead! I saw them take you!”

 

Computer placed a paw up against his chin, still grinning maliciously. “That's for me to know and for you to never find out!” He mocked. His smug smile only helped to fuel Rick's rage.

 

“I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!” He screamed, jumping right over his desk and quickly closing what little ground their was between them.

 

Computer made a break for it, just barely managing to dodge a tackle from the enraged janitor. He spent the next few minutes avoiding kicks, punches, and swipes. Every miss only managed to whip the angry janitor up into an even bigger frenzy. He began to scream out slurred curses, spraying spit everywhere as he did so.

 

“I knew there was something wrong with you!” He yelled, stopping his onslaught for just a moment.

 

Computer took a step back, unsure of what the crazy old man would do next. He needed to buy more time but he wasn't sure how much longer he could avoid the enraged janitor. If he got his hands on him, well, he'd probably tear him limb from limb, or worse....

 

Rick continued to rant incoherently, barely even taking the time to catch his breath as he did so. “I always knew you dogs were against us humans! They said I was mad, but I knew! I knew that one day you would all rise up again your masters!”

 

He hobbled over to the wall on his right and stopped in front of what looked like an emergency fire kit. Instead of it saying, 'In Case Of Fire Emergency' on the glass it really said, 'In Case Of Dog Apocalypse'.

 

Computer stared. These people really were crazy! Well, who could blame them really? Nowhere probably experienced a dog apocalypse every other Friday...

 

Rick smashed the glass with his elbow and produced an ax from the emergency supplies. He had an absolute devilish glint in his eye as he glared down at Computer. “Bet you're their leader!” He sneered. “If I take you out, they won't ever think to oppose me again!” Letting out a war cry, he raised his ax high into the air.

 

Computer took another step back, completely dismayed by the janitor's newest attempt to kill him. “Um, I don't suppose we could maybe, you know, talk this out or something?” He asked the janitor as he closed in on him. “S _-_ seriously! There's no reason to-”

 

_**THUNK** _

 

He managed to jump just as Rick's ax hit the floor. Had he not gotten out of the way it would have landed right on his head...

 

“WHY WON'T YOU HOLD STILL?” The man screamed. They both took of running, weaving back and forth between the various office desks.

 

“Because dying horribly was NOT on my list of things to do today!” Computer yelled despite knowing fully well that the man wouldn't care about anything he had to say.

 

He ducked as the janitor swung his ax again. This time he felt a sharp pain in his ear as he dodged the sharp blade. He tumbled out of the way and quickly hid himself behind a desk. Something warm was dripping from his ear and hitting the ground beside him. He lightly touched the afflicted area and found red liquid oozing out of it. It took him a moment to realize what was going on. Rick had cut the tip of his ear off!

 

“Blood?” He asked. “I'm bleeding?” He was not accustomed to organic functions like bleeding or even pain. The injury came as a bit of a shock. If Courage didn't hurry up, he'd be....

 

“ARAAAGGHHH!” The janitor yelled, his ax sinking into the top of desk above Computer.

 

The glowing dog was forced to run yet again. He knew his organic body was beginning to tire out. He could already feel the dog's muscles beginning to tense up and his lungs were beginning to burn. No matter how much air he tried to take in, it wasn't enough to keep him going. He quietly cursed that stupid twit for taking his time.

 

“I bet you're radioactive!” Rick yelled, still incoherent in his rage. “That's gotta be why you're all glowy like that! Bet I've got cancer from having to handle a mutant like you!”

 

“Actually, I'd say it's radioactive rabies, and that's much _worse_.” Computer joked, trying to annoy his tormentor.

 

“DIE!” The man shrieked. His ax narrowly missed Computer once again. It brought up sparks as it slashed the floor in vain.

 

Their little battle went on for several more minutes. Rick could not gain an upper hand against the dog and Computer could do nothing but scramble out of the way of his every blow. The old janitor was tiring out as well. Every breath he took came out in ragged puffs. His swings were growing even more erratic, almost always missing their mark completely.

 

Computer swung behind another desk, hoping that it would give him cover for a few more seconds. He needed a break and Rick certainly wasn't going to give it to him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up at this. He wasn't sure how much longer _Rick_ could keep up at this. He'd probably give the old man a heart attack long before they could finish their fight.

 

“Come out, come out, little puppy!” The janitor called. “Are you cowering away from me? Good! I like it when you little monsters are afraid of me!”

 

Computer stepped out from under the desk. “I don't cower, thank you very much! You're just so bad at this that I got bored!” He loudly challenged the janitor. If he could just tire the old fool out a little bit more....

 

Rick charged yet again. Computer escaped another cleaving by slipping through the angry man's legs and diving behind another desk. The old man screamed and tipped it over, leaving Computer momentarily exposed. He avoided yet another swift swing of the ax but not without coming very close to getting one of his legs lobbed off. He internally scolded himself for not being more careful. There was no reason to get careless, even if Rick _was_ tiring out.

 

“This is the end for you!” The old man growled, still panting like he had just run a marathon. “You're tiring out! I can see it! Why not make it easier on yourself and just give up? I can't promise I'll make your death any less painful though!” And he let out a malicious laugh.

 

“Not on your life.” Computer returned. He took a step back, unsure of what to do now. How much longer could this man keep ticking?

 

He turned and ran, opting to keep up at the same strategy he had been using. The old man howled his anger and followed. Computer dodge several more swings, the fool's attempts growing even more frantic. If anything, Rick's desperation was only making him even more dangerous. He was swinging about so wildly now that it was hard to gauge which way his ax would go next.

 

“Why...won't....you...die!” He screamed out between every failed swipe of his weapon. He finally had to stop, lowering his ax so that he could place a hand on his knee.

 

“Giving up?” Computer laughed. “Looks like your next stop is a senior home! Face it, Grandpa. You're out of your league!”

 

“ARRRAAAA!” He screamed, leaping forward and, catching Computer off guard, struck him with a swift kick of his leg. It was enough to send the glowing dog toppling to the floor. “You're gonna regret ever crossing me, dog!” He growled, gripping his ax with both hands.

 

Computer opened his eyes. How could he have let that old fool kick him? He tried to jump away on all fours but wasn't fast enough. The ax swung down and cut into his side. He cried out, completely unaccustomed to the strong sensation of physical pain. Was this the end for him? How could he have screwed up at the absolute worst possible moment? What would happen to Courage and all the dogs he was trying to save? Would Rick hunt them down and kill them too? Of _course_ he would!

 

Cringing but completely resolute, he grabbed the blade of the ax and pulled it out of his side. The smug look on Rick's face turned to rage as the ax clattered to the floor.

 

“I'm not done with you yet!” Computer challenged once, very much aware of the blood seeping out of his torso and the heavy pain throbbing through his body. He couldn't give up now, not when Rick would go after the rest of those dogs if he didn't keep him occupied.

 

“Should have gone for the neck!” Rick yelled, stepping forward. “Well, you ain't running anywhere now, puppy! Not with a wound like that!”

 

“We'll just have to see about that!” Computer shot back, turning around to run. The old man was unfortunately right though, running only brought on more vicious pain. He couldn't get very far without nearly blacking out from the agony it caused. Desperate for some form of reprieve, he swung behind another desk.

 

“I should just sit here and let you bleed out!” Rick called out to him. “You ain't going to last much longer, mutt!”

 

He ignored the man's taunting and glanced down at his injury. He admittedly didn't know much about organic creature wounds, or what to do about them. His didn't seem fatal at least. It was deep, but it hadn't cut so far into his body that it had hit something vital. The man was right about one thing though, if he didn't do something soon, he'd bleed out and then the injury _would_ become fatal.

 

He attempted to stand back up but immediately collapsed again. No, this wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Pain or no pain, if he didn't get moving again, there was nothing stopping Rick from coming over and cleaving him in half. He _had_ to keep moving no matter what, regardless of his injury.

 

_**THUMP** _

 

The ax dug into the desk above him, Rick's grinning face peering over the edge. He took a deep breath and got ready to move...

 

“Oh, are we going to play some more?” Rick taunted. “Here I was thinking you'd finally given up!”

 

Computer stood up, swaying for a moment. He was starting to feel, what was the word organics used? Light headed? Yes, that seemed to be the right phrase. The last thing he wanted right now was to pass out and leave himself to the whims of this crazy old man. He desperately hoped that this dog body wouldn't give out on him before he could get away.

 

Rick reached over to grab his ax. He had embedded it quite deep into the desk. He tugged at it a few times but it wouldn't budge.

 

“Wha-?” He asked, surprised to see that he had swung it so hard. He pulled at it a couple more times but it was completely stuck tight.

 

Computer let out a sigh of relief, glad for one small miracle.

 

“I-impossible!” Rick yelped. He pulled and pulled at the ax but it would not budge.

 

“Looks like you missed your target.” Computer taunted him. “Or were you actually trying to cut that desk in half? It's hard to tell because that's all you've managed 'kill' so far!”

 

Rick screamed a gibberish curse at him and yanked at the ax even harder. His enraged face was red with the strain.

 

“You know, maybe if you had actually swung that hard at me I wouldn't still be standing here.” Computer went on. Maybe that old man really _would_ have a heart attack from all his efforts. Either way, his taunting was only making the man even more frustrated and the more frustrated he was, the more likely he was to mess up.

 

“I'll...kill...you!” The janitor growled between his teeth grit. He gave one last almighty tug on his ax and, much to both his and Computer's surprise, the wooden shaft separated itself from the sharp, metal blade.

 

Computer laughed, completely stupefied by the old man's dumbfounded expression. “I can't believe it! That's certainly no Excalibur! Hahaha!”

 

The man began to growl and pointed his worthless stick at the glowing dog. Even his neck was red with anger now. His teeth were grit so hard that it was an amazement that he hadn't somehow managed to crack them yet.

 

“What? Are you going to try and bludgeon me to death with that? Hahaha! Hilarious!” Computer continued to laugh. The crazy old janitor just looked so stupid with that thing that he couldn't stop himself.

 

Apparently his taunting got through to the old man. He let the stick slip through his fingers and hit the ground with a clatter. He let his hands fall to his side and stared at the little dog. A small smile broke out across his face as he did so.

 

“I don't need that stick to kill you.” He said in a deathly quiet voice.

 

He launched himself forward and Computer was not nearly fast enough to get away. His injury simply impeded him too much. The old man grabbed him by his neck and hauled him upwards until they were eye to eye.

 

Rick's grip was unimaginably strong. Computer was quickly finding it impossible to breath. If that man tried to strangle him any harder, his neck would simply snap off.

 

“I always beat you little monsters in the end!” He laughed. “None of you have ever escape this building ali-”

 

He stopped, his eyes suddenly widening. “What on earth...” He gasped.

 

The man's grip on Computer's neck lessened, allowing him a chance to turn his head and get a look at whatever had shocked him so badly.

 

Dogs were walking single file out of the kennel room and over to another door. Their pace picked up the moment they realized Rick had seen them. Courage was nowhere to be found but it could only be him leading the group.

 

“I-impossible!” Rick gasped. “How did they...” His expression returned to that of pure anger. “No! I won't let them escape! No one ever escapes me! You're all dead, you little monsters!” He screamed.

 

The dogs still in line gasped, breaking their formation and making a beeline for the door that Courage must have been leading them through. Where that door led, Computer wasn't sure, but he hoped it was some kind of exit.

 

“No, no, no!” Rick moaned. “I can't allow this to happen! _I can't allow this to happen!_ ” He dropped Computer without so much as a second thought and race forward to stop the dogs. Left with little other choice, Computer grabbed the man's leg in a desperate bid to stop him.

 

“You're not going anywhere!” He yelled, pulling at the man's leg as hard as he could. “Our fight isn't over yet!”

 

“Get off me, you mutt!” Rick yelled, kicking at him with his one free leg. They struggled for several minutes longer before he finally managed to pry Computer off of him. “I'll deal with you later!” He yelled, giving him a quick kick and then turning around to leave.

 

“Crap...” Computer sighed. There had to be a way to stop this idiot! He turned to that discarded stick as several ideas ran through his brain. It certainly wasn't his weapon of choice but maybe it could act as a distraction. He grabbed it in one fell swoop and raced forward, ignoring the sharp pain in his side.

 

“Hey, idiot!” He cried out, swinging the stick through the air and striking the man in his back.

 

“Son of a-” Rick cried out. He whipped around to confront Computer but instead got another strike, this time to his knee. “You little-” He groaned.

 

“Don't move!” Computer threatened. “You're not going to hurt those dogs, not so long as I have anything to say about it!”

 

“We'll see about that!” Rick challenged. “You're just one tiny little monster. I've stopped ten of you with my eyes closed! You don't stand a chan-” He lunged forward mid-sentence. Computer, having sensed that the man would do something stupid, got out of the way just in time. Rick nearly tripped as he came to a stop, and just as he was righting himself, Computer angled the stick and...stuck him right between the legs. He let out a high pitch scream and fell to the floor.

 

“Momma...” He whimpered, rolling back forth. “Why, momma, why...”

 

Computer stared, partly from shock and partly from amazement. “T-that actually works? I know I've seen it in movies and stuff, but...” He shook his head and smiled. “Ah, so you humans really do have weak spot then?” He knelt down to better observe the man's agony. “It has a complete paralyzing effect, just like in movies! Fascinating!”

 

Rick continued to roll about. “You...little...monster! I'll....kill...you! Ugghhhh....”

 

Computer glanced down at the stick again, wondering if he should use it to smash that old janitor's face in. He certainly deserved it after all. No, he decided. The man was obviously of no harm to anyone anymore. He decided that would not allow himself to sink to the same level as these disgusting humans. He let the stick drop to the floor and turned to leave, rolling his eyes as the janitor continued to sit there and sob like a little girl.

 

“So much for that.” He sighed, cringing as he took a step forward. His cut was still causing an incredible amount of pain. As that, what was it called? Adrenaline thing began to take over, it was lessening his pain and making him feel a little bit better, but even then, every step he took still sent knives shooting up through his torso. “Perhaps I will have to discard this body after all. I'm sure that twit wouldn't be happy about me leaving a dog to die though.”

 

Hopefully there would be enough time for him to change bodies. It would be difficult though as he needed to insure that he kept a body that was the same breed as Courage. The wellspring's rules wouldn't allow for anything else.

 

“This stupid dog body better hold out a little bit longer...” He groaned.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	24. Round Two

Chapter 24: Round Two

 

Computer went over to the door that all the dogs had been escaping through. Opening it up, he was greeted by a long hallway. Courage and his group of escapees were about halfway down it, murmuring in quiet voices as they did so. Wherever they were going, Computer had no idea.

 

“Twit, what on earth are you doing?” He called. “We're trying to escape, remember?”

 

Courage pushed his way out of the crowd and waved to him. He cupped his paws together and yelled back, “There's a garage down here! One of the dogs told me about it! They've got a dog catching van and we're going to try and steal it!”

 

Computer replied back with, “That's nice and all, but we can't waste anymore time! I managed to stop the janitor for a little while but I doubt he's going to stay down forever!”

 

“Keep distracting him then!” Courage called back.

 

He frowned and rolled his eyes at the dog's words. “Do you not see all of the blood currently pouring out of me? I'm almost out of commission over here, dog!”

 

“Just keep him distracted for a little while longer! The garage is just down here! We'll be ready to leave in a few minutes!”

 

Computer shook his head. “Ugh, you are unbearable! I'll probably have bled to death by then!”

 

Regardless, he turned to leave. Hopefully that stupid janitor would be in too much pain to do anything else. All they really needed were a few more minutes, if Courage was right about the van. If he had anything worth regretting now it was that he _hadn't_ knocked the janitor out. Perhaps he could get that old fool tied up while he was still rolling around on the floor.

 

“I swear, that twit is going to be the end of me.” He sighed, stifling several other complaints as he walked. That damnable cut of his continued to ache with every step he took. He lightly placed a paw up against it in hopes of slowing the bleeding, unfortunately that only made it hurt worse. “If this doesn't stop soon...” He began, cut off by the sound of a click and his forehead bumping into something cold. He looked up and his mouth fell open.

 

“Hello again, mutt. Thought I'd give up so easily?”

 

Computer stared. He'd been so distracted by his injury that he hadn't noticed what was right in front of him. He was staring down the end of a silver barrel, the janitor's jeering face grinning at him from atop the metal tube.

 

“S-Shotgun?” He asked, momentarily too dumbfounded to act.

 

“I've always kept it around for emergencies! They said I was crazy doing that! Hahaha! Never thought I'd get a chance to prove them wrong!” The old janitor poked Computer in the nose with the barrel. “How about this? I'm a fair guy, so why don't I start counting and you start running?”

 

Computer took a step back. There was a good chance that the old man would turn his gun onto the group of dogs if he didn't keep him distracted, but if he didn't get away either, well, he'd soon be bits of brain matter on the wall...

 

The janitor continued to grin, savoring the final moments of his menace. “Any last words before I blow your brains out?” He asked, poking Computer in the forehead. “One...”

 

Computer slightly turned his head to the side. There was a door next to them. If he were fast, he could get away. It wouldn't put much between him and janitor but at least he wouldn't be staring down the barrel of a shotgun anymore. Hopefully Courage would have those dogs piled into the garage by now. He didn't dare turn around to look though. So long as Rick was focused on him, the old man wouldn't turn his wrath onto the dogs.

 

“Well?” The vicious man asked, poking him again. “Two...”

 

“Er, yes, well. Hope I don't see you again, loser!” He taunted, whipping around and racing through the door. He slammed it shut and slid down the cool wood, gripping his aching side. He reached up for the lock when....

 

_**BANG!** _

 

He leaped back up onto to his feet as two bullets whizzed past. It left one large hole in the door where they had gone through and mere inches away from where his head had just been. He dove out of the way as another blast from the shotgun ruined the door.

 

“Heeere's Ricky!” The janitor laughed, pressing his head up to the hole.

 

Computer jumped forward and jabbed his fingers into the old fool's eyes. Rick screamed and reeled backwards, giving Computer enough to ram the door open and flee. He tore down the hallway on fours, ignoring the absolute agony that burned through his torso as he did so. He'd take that awful pain over a missing head any day...

 

_**BANG!** _

 

Another barrage of bullets missed him by mere inches. He reached the end of the hall and ripped the last door open, hoping that this was the way to the garage. He tumbled through it and landed face first on concrete, confirming that he had indeed found the place. He felt several dogs grab his by his arms and pull him up. For a moment he was too lethargic to do anything. His vision kept fading in and out, threatening to lead him into unconsciousness.

 

“You ain't doin' so well.” One of the dogs spoke.

 

He pressed a paw up against his head. “We all won't be doing very well if we don't get out of here soon! Courage!” He called.

 

“Everybody out of the way!” He heard the pup speak. Courage pushed through the crowd of animals and gasped the moment his eyes beheld his injury. “Oh man, that didn't look nearly as bad from far away.”

 

“Thanks for paying attention.” Computer grumbled out in reply. He pushed himself away from the dogs holding him up and swayed there for a moment. As soon as he was certain that he could stand without passing out, he reached forward and grabbed the pup by his shoulders. “We need to get out of here, _NOW_!” He yelled. “The old guy is packing and he is _not_ messing around anymore!”

 

Several of the dogs gasped and a mummer ran through the crowd. Courage's ears drooped as their talk became fearful.

 

“We're all going to die!” Someone yelped.

 

“Don't panic!” Courage cried out, raising his paws to silence them. “Grab whatever you can find and get that door blocked! We're going to be fine just so long as we don't panic!”

 

The garage suddenly became very loud as the dogs began to talk and plan out their course of action. One dog offered to work on hijacking the van while several others grabbed the metal cages from inside it and propped them up against the door. It wasn't the best protection, but it would have to do for now.

 

The black, ominous van didn't look quiet as imposing with all the dogs piling into the back of it. They had to toss out everything that wasn't outright nailed to the floor to insure that they had enough room for everybody to fit. Vicious looking medical equipment, probably used to subdue unruly animals, lay forgotten on the floor.

 

Computer sighed with relief as he watched them work and nearly toppled over again from exhaustion. Now that he wasn't in danger of being cut in half or blown to pieces, he could finally....

 

“Oh, no....” He groaned, slapping his forehead. How could he have almost forgotten about _that_? He turned to Courage, who was supervising the dogs as they piled into the van, and tapped him on the shoulder. “Twit, we may have a problem.”

 

“What _else_ could go wrong?” The pup asked as he waved the dogs on. The line to get into the van was getting smaller and smaller every moment. A certainly welcomed improvement to their situation.

 

“I almost forgot about the bag!” Computer spoke.

 

Courage gave him a quizzical look. “Bag?”

 

“Yes, yes, the bag! Remember, the book, the tickets, the money?”

 

“O-oh! Oh, yeah!”

 

“I brought it along with me when I walked down here and I-”

 

He was cut off by a loud banging sound. The janitor was trying to get in. He could be heard cursing as he threw himself up against the barricaded door. The dogs still waiting to get into the van all gasped in terror and began to move even faster. Computer watched the frantic animals as they hurried along. Waiting for a moment of silence, he turned to Courage again.

 

“I brought the bag with me and tossed it into the bushes just outside the main doors. I suppose I didn't think we'd have to make some grand escape, but that doesn't matter now! I need to go retrieve it before we get out of here!”

 

Another bang on the door caught their attention. Courage nodded in agreement and pushed him forward. “Hurry! The janitor's busy with the door, but who knows how long that will last!”

 

“It'll only take me a second. This garage must be near the front of the building after all.” He fought back the urge to sigh. Regardless of how close they were to the front of the building, he wasn't looking forward to walking around with his injury anymore. He didn't dare ask Courage to do it for him either. The pup had his paws full with the other dogs right now and he would _not_ sink so low as to ask that stupid twit for help! “You own me dearly for putting up with this madness.” He sighed, shaking his head at the dog.

 

“A-are you sure you want to go out there by yourself?” Courage asked. He glanced down at his wound with a surprising amount of concern. “Me or one of the other dogs could-”

 

“I'm fine, twit! I'll be back in a moment! Don't you dare leave without me though!”

 

He pushed forward without another word, moving quickly enough so that the pup couldn't get in another word. He exited the garage from the front and moved across the building. He kept close to the wall just to be safe, not that the janitor would know that he was there anyway. Wincing, he placed a paw up against his wound again. As much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to appreciate the twit's ability to put up with this kind of nonsense on a daily basis.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	25. Round Three

Chapter 25: Round Three

 

Computer moved on. He was keeping himself pressed up against the building wall to offer himself some small amount of protection. The janitor's angry ranting could be heard echoing through an open window as he passed it. He was glad that the idiot still hadn't found a way to get past the barricaded door. As long as he was occupied with that, he wouldn't bother getting creative and finding another way around. Not that the man had any creativity to use in the first place...

 

The town of Nowhere was deserted at this hour, he noted. Not a single person could be found walking near the building and even the few cars driving around town avoided this road. The sun was so low in the sky that it connected with the horizon, tinting the landscape a golden color. Even a dull place like Nowhere looked nice in this unusual light.

 

A rumble of thunder caught Computer's attention. Menacing clouds were building up across from the setting sun. It's already dark spires were amplified by the golden light, making it appear even more threatening. If that thing continued to build up, they'd be in for one monster of a storm later.

 

 _'Great.'_ He though, letting out an audible sigh. ' _Now we're going to get rained on too! Why must every last bit of annoyance have to happen to us today?'_

 

_**BANG!** _

 

Computer jumped at the sound of a gun going off and quietly cursed under his breath. Had Rick gotten through the door? No, that didn't seem likely. He could still be heard yelling through the open window. He must have gotten frustrated and tried to blow the door open.

 

Computer internally scolded himself for getting startled so easily. Flesh creature body or not, he wasn't like that twit after all. He'd never allow himself to get scared over something so stupid as a gunshot!

 

Another bang rang out as the janitor tried to blow open the door again. Computer kept moving, inching closer and closer to the front doors. He was just about to pick up his pace when the sound of squealing tires reached his ears. He turned to find the black van speeding out of the garage.

 

“You have got to be kidding me!” He yelled. “I told that idiot not to leave without me!”

 

One of the dogs must have panicked. Hearing those gunshots would have unsettled anyone, much less a group of already terrified dogs. Courage must not have been able to stop whoever was in the drivers seat. Either way, the van was already barreling down the street and away from the building....away from _him_.

 

Thinking fast, he raced forward and dived behind a bush near the two front doors. He quickly grabbed that ratty old bag and flung it over his shoulder. He jumped back out again and cringed as he realized just how far that van was getting away.

 

“There's no way I'll be able to catch up!” He growled. “There's got to be a way to-”

 

“AAAAAUUGHH! You little monsters!” Rick screamed, crashing through the front doors and racing over to the sidewalk. He waved his fist at the rapidly disappearing van and tossed his shotgun to the ground.

 

Computer took a step back, hoping to keep the janitor from noticing him. He would have tried to hide behind that bush again but of course his blue glow would have given him away immediately. If he could just sneak back into the building and hide...

 

“How could I let them escape?” The old man cried out. He placed his hands up against his face and began to sob. “I'm ruined! I'm completely rui-”

 

He stopped, suddenly becoming very quiet. He slowly turned to Computer, who felt his stomach drop at being seen so easily. Apparently his blue glow _had_ tipped the old man off.

 

Rick began to smile. “They abandoned you, didn't they? Hahaha! I don't believe this!” He reached down to pick his gun up. “I may have lost, but I still get to finish you off! Too bad! I guess your little friends didn't think so highly of you after all!”

 

Computer glanced around, unsure of what to do now. He had no means of escape. The man had a clear shot no matter which way he might try to run. As bad of a shot as the old janitor might be, there was no way he could possibly miss this time.

 

“Guess what, mutt?” Rick asked. “I ain't even going to let you have any last words this time! Say good night, doggy!”

 

Computer cringed as the shotgun was lined up with his forehead. Well, so much for saving Courage. This looked like the...

 

_Click..._

 

They both stared, completely dumbfounded on equal grounds. Rick pulled the trigger again but only got another click. It took them both a moment to realize that he had run out of ammo!

 

“No!” He yelled. “No, no, no, no!”

 

He reached into his pocked to grab what Computer could only assume was some more ammo and he, of course, took that moment of distraction to run. Rick unfortunately knew what he was going to do and jumped forward to catch him. He landed right on top of him, using one arm to hold him down and the other to fish for bullets.

 

Struggling against the grip of that awful man, Computer pushed as hard as he could. He aimed one of his legs and began kicking the man in his face as many times as he could. Rick would not budge though and thus both of them were locked into place, trying to outdo one another.

 

“Get...off...of...me!” Computer yelled out between kicks.

 

“You're dead dog! Dead!” Rick growled back.

 

Realizing that he had only one option left, Computer fought back his revulsion at knowing what he would have to do. If being forced to sink this low would save his life, well, he'd take it! Sighing with annoyance, he opened his mouth and bit down on the janitor's arm.

 

“RAAAHH!” Rick cried out. He jumped to his feet and swung Computer around in an effort to get him off. He held on tight, hoping that he could come up with an escape plan quick. The old man obviously wasn't going to let him get away so easily and this little biting trick of his wouldn't do much to stop him for good.

 

“Let go of me, you mutt!” The old man yelled. He swung his glowing menace forward one last time and that was the exact moment when Computer decided to use the momentum to make his escape. He released his jaw from the man's arm and was flung several feet through the air. The moment he hit the ground he made a mad dash for the road. He didn't care where he was going or why, just so long as he put enough distance between him and that crazy janitor as possible. He could worry about getting back to Courage later.

 

_**BANG!** _

 

A shot rang out and he felt a bullet graze his fur. Even now that damnable janitor wasn't giving up! Thank goodness he was such a bad shot at least! Somehow, someway, Computer was finding hidden reserves of energy in this dog body to keep going. His injury ached more than anything now and it felt like his lungs were about to collapse, but he kept running anyway. He'd never known what it was like to feel physically tired until today and it was absolutely awful.

 

_**BANG!** _

 

Another shot missed him by mere inches. If he could only just get a little farther away...

 

_**SKREEEEE** _

 

The sound of squealing tires made him flinch. He glanced up to find that the black van was barreling right towards him. Relief struck him at the sight of it. Courage had gotten those idiots to come back!

 

He continued racing forward, ignoring everything else around him. The van wasn't close enough to help him yet and Rick was still...

 

_**BANG!** _

 

This time a sharp stabbing pain struck him in the leg and he fell forward, his muzzle hitting the pavement and him temporarily dazed. Fighting back a groan, he sat up. It appeared that his leg had only been grazed, but it was bleeding now too and very much burning with pain. He doubted he could run anymore, and if Rick tried to hit him again...

 

He gasped and looked up. The old fool was indeed lining up another shot. Computer glared at him, hoping desperately that the man would miss again. He tried to stand up but found it impossible to do. Despite his best efforts, he was nothing more than a sitting duck ready to be shot to death.

 

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!** _

 

He shut his eyes and waited for barrage the bullets to hit him...but then he heard the black van swing forward and stop right in front of him. It blocked out every last one of them. They all harmlessly bounce off the metal on the other side.

 

The back doors of the van ripped open and several dogs jumped out to help him up. They moved as quickly as possible to get him inside because Rick was still firing off as much ammo as possible and they couldn't angle the van any better to keep the back safe from fire. The doors acted as a natural bullet repellent but one lucky shot could still be the end of one of them.

 

“Sorry we're late!” A female dog cheerfully said to him. He had almost mistaken her for Courage before she spoke. She looked just like the pup, given that she was the same breed as both him and the body Computer himself was currently inhabiting. She reached a paw out to help him up into the van and he accepted it. He would have given her a sarcastic reply but he was far too tired to bother with it right now.

 

_**BANG! BANG!** _

 

“That guy just isn't giving up, is he?” She asked. Now that he could get a closer look at her she was indeed a bit different from Courage. Her fur was a light pink color in contrast to the pup's more purple fur. She had long eyelashes, which as far as Computer could tell seemed to be a common trait among female animals. Her ears were also a bit shorter than the dog's, and much more oddly shaped.

 

It was a bit of a tight fit in the back of the van, but he managed to find some space. The dogs who had helped him piled back in and then they were off again. As the van sped away, Computer caught one last glimpse of Rick through the backdoor windows. The man soundlessly screamed with rage and toss his shotgun to ground. Computer smiled and waved to the idiot which only evoked more soundless angry cries from the man. Then they turned down a road and Rick the janitor was gone.

 

Numbness and a terrible bought of dizziness reminded Computer of his body's injury. He hadn't gotten a chance to switch bodies and now he wasn't sure how much longer this one would last. He tried to force the dizziness away but he couldn't get it to stop. A ringing in his ears started to drowned out most other sounds. His vision kept blurring no matter how many times he blinked and his mouth had gone dry.

 

He took a step forward, trying to push his way through the group of dogs. He needed to find Courage and give that stupid twit a piece of his mind. If he were about to die, he at least wanted to go out doing what he was good at.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	26. The Dog Veterinarian

Chapter 26: The Dog Veterinarian

 

Courage sighed with relief as the van sped off again. He knew he'd never hear the end of it from Computer, but at least he had gotten back to him in time. The dog who had hit the gas in a panic hadn't listened to anything he said. It was only after the raving animal had been wrestled from the drivers seat that they'd been able to go back.

 

Another dog of the same breed as him wrestled their way through the crowd. He was surprised to find that she was a girl once she began to talk.

 

“I got your friend back for you.” She said with a wink. “You'd better watch out though, he seemed pretty angry with you.”

 

The unusual dog had an air of authority about her that he really liked. All the other dogs were waiting to be led but she seemed like the type who'd jump in and help other people just as easily as he would.

 

His musings were cut short when he got a sharp poke in the side. He turned around to confront whoever was poking him and met two very angry glowing, blue eyes.

 

“YOU!” Computer yelled, this time poking him in the chest. “I nearly died because of you, you infernal idiot!”

 

Courage took a step back and giggled sheepishly. “Sorry! Ehehehe!”

 

“I swear that nothing but bad things have happened to me ever since I started helping you! I've fallen down stairs, gotten my monitor bashed in, kicked, punched, and nearly _euthanized_!” The glowing dog angrily slapped his forehead. “And that's not even mentioning the fact that I nearly got cut in half _and_ almost had my brains blown out! Honestly!”

 

Courage gave him a weak smile. “It's a, um...occupational hazard?”

 

Computer scowled at him. “You are the worst! I swear I'm going to...to...” He suddenly began to struggle with his words. His eyes became very unfocused.

 

Courage took a step forward to help him. “Computer?” He asked.

 

The machine swayed there for a moment. He placed a paw up against his head....and then toppled backwards with a thud.

 

“Oh no!” Courage yelped, racing forward to help the irate machine. He placed a paw onto his arm but the glowing dog did not stir. When he reached over to get a pulse, the female dog stepped forward and stopped him.

 

“Let me see.” She said, kneeling down beside him.

 

“I-I shouldn't have had him fight that janitor!” Courage cried out helplessly. “He's not going to make it, is he?”

 

She shook her head. “He's lost a lot of blood, but...” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the glowing dog. “If we can get him to stop bleeding, he should be fine. He'll be hurting quite a bit, but he will live.”

 

“H-how can you be sure of that?” He asked, unconvinced.

 

She smiled again. “I'm a veterinarian myself! Obviously I'm not like those people back there though!”

 

“W-wha...” He gasped. “B-but isn't that supposed to be a human profession? Why were you locked up like the rest of us dogs then?”

 

She grinned and placed her paws behind her head. “It _is_ pretty strange when a dog does what a human is supposed to do. I know most of our kind likes to be pets, but I always wanted to do something more with myself. Well, I came here looking for work but then they locked me up like I was some kind of stray!”

 

Courage nodded. “What can we do to help my friend then?”

 

“I'm going to need a lot of bandaging to get this big wound closed up.” She pointed down at the giant gash running across Computer's torso. “It would be a lot better if I could use some stitches but we're just going to have to work with what we have. This isn't exactly ideal conditions after all.”

 

“Where are we going to get any bandages?” Courage asked.

 

The female dog pressed her paws up against Computer's ax wound to try and stem off the bleeding. “Anything that I can wrap around him will work at this point.” She said. “I really hate having to do it like this but we need to improvise if he's going to live!”

 

One of the dogs stepped forward. “I can give you this.” He said, offering up a ratty old shirt that he had been wearing.

 

Indeed, many of the dogs in the group were wearing clothes like normal humans. Courage was admittedly used to this sort of thing as he had met quite a few dogs over the years who lived like everyday people. He shuttered just to think about that Mad Dog and his group of thugs! Were most of the animals in this van independent? Had they been captured just for not having owners of their own?

 

Several more dogs stepped forward and offered whatever they had. The female dog grabbed what she needed and made deft work out of the articles of clothing. Soon enough, all of Computer's injuries were covered.

 

“Almost done!” She said, tying up the last knot of her makeshift bandaging.

 

Computer still looked like a mess but at least he wasn't at a risk of bleeding out now. Courage half expected him to get up at any moment and start berating him again like nothing had happened.

 

“Is he-” He began, glancing back over at the female dog.

 

“He'll wake up soon enough, don't worry.” She reassured him.

 

They worked together to pick the glowing dog up and move him closer to the back of the van. That way he could rest without the risk of being trampled on by another dog. It was still a bit cramped back there but at least he wasn't as likely to be stepped on now.

 

“Ugh, ow...” He groaned, briefly regaining consciousness as they set him down. He opened his eyes for a moment and stared at the two dogs watching over him. “Just what is...uuugh...” He began, holding his head in his paws. His voice trailed off as he quickly slipped back into unconsciousness.

 

Courage glanced over at the female dog again with a worried look. She merely shrugged and laughed, “He's fine! You worry way too much!”

 

He sighed and sat down beside Computer, reassured and relaxed by the female dog's encouraging demeanor. She too followed his example and slid down next to him.

 

“So, what's your name?” She asked.

 

“Courage.” He replied.

 

“And what's his?”

 

“Erm, Computer...”

 

“That's a weird name!” She laughed. “So, is he like from England or something?”

 

“E-England?” Courage stammered out, surprised to be asked something like that.

 

“Well, yeah! You don't talk like that if you're from America!”

 

“I-I don't know. I've never asked him.”

 

“Why's he all glowy like that? I've never seen any dog like him before and I've seen a lot of dogs in my work! He looks radioactive!”

 

“I don't know. He's just glowy, I guess.” Courage replied. He really hated having to give her such non-answers. Here he was with nothing interesting to say to a dog who was actually interested in all the general weirdness of his life.

 

“Well, enough about him. What about you?” She asked.

 

“Me? I live on a farm out here in the middle of Nowhere.”

 

“You've got an owner, right? What is he or she like?”

 

“Well, there's Muriel. She's the nicest person I know!” He couldn't help but smile just thinking about her. “She always knows right where to scratch me behind my ears, cooks the best food in the world, always lets me nap in her lap, and...” He trailed off on that one word. The smile faded from his lips and he let his ears droop until they touched his back. “...we used to do everything together, before I got sick.”

 

“Sick?” She asked, craning her head to the side. “Is that why you were locked up by those vets? Did they even try to make you better?”

 

Courage cupped his paws together. He was feeling particularly depressed now, having almost completely forgotten why he had been stuck with those vets in the first place.

 

“It's a long story...” He sighed.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	27. Comeuppance

Chapter 27: Comeuppance

 

“My illness is fatal.” Courage continued. “It can't be cured at all. Muriel took me down to the veterinarian office to be euthanized because...” He squeezed his eyes shut. “...because she thought it would be best for me.”

 

He hated having to admit that Muriel wanted to do that to him, even if she was doing it for a good reason. She just didn't want him to suffer, that was all. She was acting purely out of love for him. Now he couldn't help but wonder if she would ever find out that he had escaped his fate. Would those veterinarians even bother to tell her?

 

The female dog's expression became surprisingly sad at his words. “I know how she feels. Sometimes, in my line of work, you've got to let a person's loved one go rather than watch them continue to suffer. It's a shame that dogs almost always go before their owners. Well, I'm assuming you were intentionally trying to escape being euthanized then?”

 

“Yeah.” Courage sighed. “I-I don't want to die.”

 

The female dog looked upwards and let a small smile cross her face. “I heard someone say once that dogs always go first so that their owners have someone waiting for them when their time comes. I think that's a beautiful way to look at things, or at the very least it helps me feel a little better when tragedy inevitably strikes.”

 

Courage bit his lip, knowing fully well that if he survived his illness he would very likely outlive Muriel. So much for being a faithful dog companion, huh? He really didn't want to think about it though, not ever, and he especially didn't want to subscribe to the belief that dogs were meant to die before their owners.

 

“Well,” He sighed out when it became clear that she had nothing more to say. “We're looking for a way to stop my illness.” He pointed over at Computer who was still more than just a little knocked out at the moment. “He's an old friend of mine, well, maybe 'friend' is too strong of a word, but he may have found a way to cure my illness. We're heading out to this mountain that may hold the key to healing me.”

 

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” The female dog asked with a surprising amount of sympathy.

 

“No, I'm pretty much stuck.” He sighed. “Until my illness is gone, I have to live through whatever it does to me.”

 

She placed a paw onto his shoulder. “I'm sorry about what's happening to you. I have to watch animals suffer all the time and I often can't do anything to help them. My job tends to be...a bit harsh at times.”

 

“Don't worry about it.” Courage replied with a smile. “I'm doing pretty well despite my illness!”

 

Her face began to light back up again. “That's good! I hope you find your cure, Courage!”

 

An hour passed and soon full darkness fell upon Nowhere. Continuous bolts of lightening lit up the sky in the distance. Soon they would be feeling the full force of that storm. The van continued to move down the road, farther and farther into the deserted parts of Nowhere.

 

Courage stretched out and yawned. Despite feeling tired, he still felt good. Today's events had ignited a spark in him that he had thought had gone out for good. He could still help people despite his illness! He could still do the right thing even when he was being hindered! For months now he had been forced to wallow around the farm, too afraid to do anything that might aggravate his condition. He was finally up and moving again, able to do more than just sulk and worry about his illness. Sure, he knew that an attack was somewhere on the horizon, but he'd worry about it when it actually happened rather than worry about it all the time.

 

A groan caught his attention and he turned to Computer. The glowing dog slowly sat up and clasped a paw to his head. He glanced down at the clothing covering both his torso and leg and then looked back up, his eyes trailing to Courage. He then reached up and felt his ear which had also been covered up by cloth.

 

“Are you alright?” Courage asked.

 

“No, I'm not alright.” He answered with another groan. “I feel like I've been hit by a truck.”

 

“Hey there! I'm glad to see you're still with us!” The female dog cheerfully chirped.

 

Computer raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”

 

“I helped you into the van, remember?”

 

“Obviously! But what I mean is-”

 

“She saved your life!” Courage pipped in.

 

The machine placed his paws on his hips, clearly not convinced that she had done anything. “Oh really?” He asked.

 

“Yep!” She laughed. “I'm a veterinarian! I knew exactly what to do to fix you up!”

 

Computer rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right! Dogs can't be veterinarians!”

 

“What's stopping us? They didn't give me any trouble when I signed up for school!”

 

He blinked at her question. “It's just not right!”

 

The female dog shrugged. “If it wasn't right, you wouldn't be standing here right now.”

 

“Whatever!” He exasperated. “I don't suppose you know where we're going at least?”

 

“Uh, actually...” Courage butted in, turning to the female dog. “Where _are_ we going?”

 

She shook her head. “I don't know. I didn't think to ask.”

 

“Great! So these dogs have been driving all this time and you idiots didn't even bother to find out where we're going?”

 

The female dog shrugged again and called out to the driver. “Hey! Where are we heading?”

 

The dog at the wheel called back with, “Dunno, I was just going to keep driving until we run out of gas. We'll probably be out of Nowhere by then.”

 

Computer tried to stand up but only managed to fall right back over again. “No, no, no! We need to stay in Nowhere! We've got a bus to catch tomorrow and I certainly don't want to get stuck in an unfamiliar place!”

 

The female dog shook her head again. “We can't take you back to town. Those veterinarians will be looking for escaped dogs! If we dropped you off there they'd just catch you and lock you up again.”

 

Computer placed a paw up against his chin. “Come to think of it, shouldn't we be getting near Nowhere Forest by now? That is assuming if we're going in the direction I think you idiots took.”

 

“W-what?” Courage stammered out. “Why would you even bring up that awful place?”

 

Computer turned to him and smiled. “We could hide out there for the night! They wouldn't dare go looking for us in that forest!”

 

Courage let out a yelp and began to shake just at the thought of that terrible forest. He had endured so many awful things in there...

 

Computer waved a paw dismissively at his fear. “Don't be such a scaredy dog!”

 

“W-we can't stay there! I-it isn't s-safe!” He stammered.

 

“Yes, yes, I know that there are a lot of supernatural creatures in that forest, but I know what every single one of them is and I know how to deal with them! We'll be fine! Would you rather get caught by those veterinarians instead?”

 

“But...but...” Courage whimpered out.

 

The glowing dog gave him a malicious smile. “So it's settled then? I guess we're staying in the forest overnight!”

 

“N-n-n-no!” Courage squeaked. He was too frightened to say anything else and he _knew_ that Computer was doing this just to get a rise out of him! That awful machine knew just how much that place scared him!

 

“You'll be fine, twit!” He laughed, slapping him on the back. “I'm telling you now, nothing bad will happen! You're just a big, stupid, scaredy dog!”

 

The female dog didn't look particularly happy about this. “Alright, if that's really what you want.” She reluctantly replied. “Driver, take us closer to Nowhere Forest!”

 

Computer continued to taunt poor Courage as the driver changed his course for the forest. He was clearly enjoy the dog's terror and was doing everything possible to rile him up even more.

 

“I bet that pterodactyl creature is going to swoop down and get you this time!” He laughed. “Or maybe that muck monster!”

 

“NOOO!” Courage screamed, trying to hide his face behind his paws. Not that muck monster again! He couldn't bear to face that thing again!

 

Computer's mocking laughter seemed to fill the whole van. “You really are the biggest scaredy twit to ever exist!”

 

“You're going to regret this, you know.” The female dog suddenly spoke up, her voice very quiet.

 

“Excuse me?” He asked, slowly turning to her. “Is that a threat? Are you seriously trying to stand up for this cowardly idiot?”

 

“No, I'm just saying that you're going to regret going into that forest.”

 

“And why is that?” He asked, crossing his arms. “What do you know about that forest that I don't? There's not a single monster in there that can harm me!”

 

She gave him a soft smile. “You're not going to heed my warning, are you?”

 

“Why should I? You're just some stupid dog! I have more knowledge stored in one microchip than you have in every last corner of that tiny pea you call a brain!”

 

She turned away and shook her head, still smiling. “I suppose it's for the best that things happen like this.” She whispered. “But don't say that I didn't warn you in the end.”

 

“What are you mumbling on about?” He asked. “If you're trying to change my mind for that twit's sake then don't even bother!”

 

By the time they pulled up to the forest, the storm was nearly overhead. Rumbles of thunder shook the van and lightning lit up the sky so frequently that it illuminated their dark surroundings like a natural flashlight.

 

Courage sighed, wishing more than anything that he wasn't here right now. He found himself getting more and more angry with Computer as every second went by. If they didn't find shelter somewhere in that forest, they'd be left out to weather the massive storm. How could Computer be so stupid? All of this just because it was funny to him?

 

He hopped out of the van, whimpering as he gazed up at the forest's dark silhouette. The female dog jumped out next to him and nodded. She was sympathetic to his plight but she wouldn't take the initiative to stop Computer. Perhaps she didn't want to get into a fight with him?

 

He glanced down at the grass touching his feet. The barren soil of Nowhere gave way to grass near this forest. It was the only place around that was capable of growing greenery. If it were by some supernatural force or something else, Courage wasn't sure, and he didn't want to find out either.

 

“I don't need your help!” He heard Computer shout.

 

He turned to find the machine glaring angrily down at the female dog from inside the van. She had offered a paw to help him down and he obviously had not taken very kindly to it.

 

“Come on! Don't be so stubborn!” She argued. “You're still hurt and you still need help!”

 

He waved a paw and sneered at her. “I don't need anyone's help! Especially not _yours_!”

 

“You can barely even walk! Just give me your paw!”

 

“Don't you dare bark orders at me, you mutt!”

 

“There's no reason to act like this! I'm just trying to help you!”

 

“I don't need your help!”

 

Sighing, she relented and backed off, Computer glaring at her the whole way. He raised a foot to exit the van and then winced in pain. He tried to catch himself before he fell out but failed at the last moment and landed square on his face.

 

“I tried.” The female dog sighed, rolling her eyes.

 

He sat up and rubbed his muzzle, glaring at the two dogs staring down at him. He got up onto his feet and limped forward, holding his head high as he did so, attempting to preserve what little dignity he had left.

 

Courage was much too angry with the machine to try and help him now, plus he knew that he'd probably get yelled at if he tried anyway. He wanted more than anything at that moment to tell Computer off for his stubborn stupidity, but he didn't dare try as he knew it would only ignite a massive argument between the both of them.

 

The van's engine started back up again. Courage said his goodbyes to all the dogs and then watched as the vehicle sped off into the darkness. Now only he, the female dog, and Computer remained. Not the greatest company, to say the least.

 

“Well, that's the end of that.” The female dog said, stretching. “It does feel good to be out of that cramped van though.”

 

“Whatever! Computer snapped. “Why are you still here anyway? Why didn't you leave with those losers?”

 

“Because you're still injured and you might need a doctor.”

 

A brief moment of shock fell over his face before he masked it with another sneer. “I said I didn't need any help! You're not wanted anymore so shoo!”

 

The female dog gave him a shrug. “Courage, your friend is a bit of a jerk, isn't he?” She quipped, turning to him.

 

“Excuse me?” Computer huffed, stomping forward. “What did you just call me, you wretched little-”

 

“Computer! Leave her alone!” Courage interrupted. He stepped forward and put himself between his newly made friend and the irate machine.

 

A snide smile fell across Computer's face. “Oh, I see. Are you trying to defend your new girlfriend? Is that it, idiot? How stupid! You couldn't get a girlfriend even if you were the last dog on Earth!”

 

“G-girlfriend?” He gasped. He immediately felt his face turn red of its own accord.

 

“You're one to talk!” She pipped in. “A snooty, insecure jerk like yourself would never get a girl! Any self respecting dog would take Courage over the likes of you any day!”

 

“Ha! As if I would ever want to hook up with one of you disgusting flesh creatures! I'm above all of your stupid mating rituals! I-” He stopped halfway through the word and stared at the angry dog. “Did you just call me insecure?” He asked, his eyes narrowing.

 

“Of course!” She challenged. “Nobody acts this stuck up unless they're hiding behind a _ton_ of insecurities.”

 

He crossed his arms in a huff. “Insecurities? I'm just stuck dealing with a bunch of twits, that's all! You'd act the same if you had to go through what I do on a daily basis!”

 

A sly smile fell across the female dog's face. “You know what they say about bullies. They only bully to feel better about themselves.”

 

Computer's frown somehow managed to deepen even further. “Bully? What, are we in a schoolyard now? What a childish notion!”

 

“I'm pretty sure there's only one person here who's being childish right now.” She went on, turning to Courage once more. “I'm telling you, it's all about insecurities! Just look at the way he acts!”

 

“For goodness sake, I'm not insecure!” Computer angrily shot back. “And stop talking to that dog like he knows anything!”

 

“You're a dog too, right?” She slyly asked him. “Let me guess, you've had a bunch of owners? I assume someone like you gets shuffled around a lot. I don't see anyone keeping such a snobby dog around for very long.”

 

“Hmph! I am not some common house pet! I don't have owners, just a bunch of annoying people that I have to put up with for an extended period of time!”

 

“And how many of these 'annoying people' have you had to deal with?”

 

“Too many! And for your information, it's none of your business!”

 

“Let me guess, if you've had 'too many' then I'm sure at least a few of them have treated you pretty badly. Now you're taking that out on everybody else, aren't you?” Her eyes narrowed. “People who get treated horribly tend to start acting that way themselves. It's considered a self defense mechanism, you know.”

 

The machine waved a paw, trying to blow her off and the things she were saying. “What? Are you a closet psychologist or something? Don't pretend you can get inside my head! I just don't like any of you, that's all! You stupid, worthless flesh creatures are all alike, and a dime a dozen too!”

 

“Hmm, is that so?” The female dog went on. “Why does what I say upset you so badly then?”

 

Shock fell over the machine's face. Courage almost had to laugh at how easily his new friend was schooling Computer. He wasn't sure if anything she were saying was true or not, but watching Computer lose his composure _was_ amusing.

 

“Bah! You're just one of those stupid psychologist types!” The glowing dog argued. “You always try to put something there that isn't actually there! Next you'll be telling me to pay you for your 'help'!”

 

“If you wouldn't close that stubborn mind of yours you'd realize that I _am_ trying to help you.”

 

“Help me? You're just lying! Everything you've said so far is just one big lie! Hpmh! I don't have to listen to anymore of this garbage!” He turned on his heels and began to limp away. “Come on, twit! We're leaving!” He called.

 

“You don't want to face what's in that forest.” The female dog warned him yet again. “This is your last chance to turn back.”

 

“I'll go where I please!” He shot back. “Twit, what are you doing? Let's go!”

 

Courage remained beside the female dog, unwilling to go with Computer. He did not want to enter that forest, no matter how much the machine tried to goad him into it. Computer looked so furious at his defiance that he was almost afraid that he would jump forward and try to drag him into the thicket.

 

“Fine!” He finally snapped. “Stay with your stupid girlfriend then! I'm leaving!”

 

And with that, he stomped off.

 

“Wait, Computer!” Courage called out. As much as liked seeing him get schooled, there was no way he could let Computer go into the forest all alone. He'd hoped that if he refused to go with him, the machine would relent and decided to hide somewhere else, but it wasn't happening.

 

“Not listening!” Computer smugly commented, his form slowing disappearing in among the trees.

 

Courage took a step forward and whimpered to himself, “I don't want to go in there, but I gotta...”

 

He turned around, wondering why the female dog wasn't following him. “Come with us!” He begged. “I know Computer is hard to deal with but it would be nice to have someone else with me! If he gives you trouble about it, I'll just tell him to knock it off!”

 

He did indeed want her to come with him. It would be nice to have someone else with him on their journey up the mountain, someone who wouldn't constantly argue with him. He loved how easily she had knocked Computer down a couple of pegs. Someone like that would be invaluable against his nigh unending battle with Computer's argumentative nature.

 

She smiled and shook her head. “Sorry, but I can't. I've got places to be, unfortunately. Being locked up in that cage for such a long time really set me back with my work.”

 

Courage's ears drooped. “W-will I ever see you again then?”

 

She reached forward and placed both her paws onto his shoulders. “It's inevitable.” Her smile was unusually sad as she said that. So, he really wasn't going to see her again, was he?

 

He sighed as she let go of him and turned to leave. She glanced back at him one last time before she headed over to the road and began walking down it.

 

“Hey!” He called out to her. “You never told me your name!”

 

Her face lit up with that same wonderful smile again upon being asked that question. He could see it even in darkness that was just barely being illuminated by the ever present flashes of lightning.

 

“How about we leave that until we meet again?” She answered. “Then you'll have something to look forward to!”

 

Courage couldn't help but smile himself, reassured that maybe this wouldn't be their only meeting. “Okay!” He agreed. “See you around then!”

 

“Yep!” She called back. “Don't worry, Courage! I'm sure everything will work out with your illness! Just keep that friend of yours in check, okay?”

 

He opened his mouth to reply, if only because he wanted her to stay just a little while longer, but then there was a particularly bright flash of lightning. He was forced to close his eyes as the bolt hit something nearby. When he could finally open them again, the female dog was gone...almost like she had never even been there in the first place.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	28. Out Of The Frying Pan

Chapter 28: Out Of The Frying Pan

 

Courage fumbled his way through the forest. He kept tripping over outstretched roots and just about anything else that could find a way to catch his feet. He was starting to think that maybe the forest was intentionally trying to trip him up. If it weren't for the constant bolts of lightning lighting up his surroundings, he could have easily walked right into the jaws of a monster and would have never even known it.

 

The wind was picking up now, and while it hadn't started raining yet, he could smell the wetness in the air. If he didn't find Computer soon, they'd both be stuck out in the middle of this massive storm. Thunder kept shaking the ground, almost to the point of where it would knock him off his feet as he walked. He was getting more and more furious with Computer as every moment went by. How hard could it be to find a glowing dog in the middle of the night? Unless he really was in the belly of some creature, the machine's glow should have been noticeable from miles away!

 

A branch whipped Courage in the face. He grit his teeth, letting his anger get the better of him. He stopped for a moment to kick the tree out of sheer annoyance, and then kept moving.

 

Growling, he quietly cursed under his breath. Another branch whipped forward in the wind and struck him across his muzzle. Stupid Computer! This was all his fault!

 

Just as he was about to turn around and leave Computer to his fate, he caught a glimmer moving in among the trees, not far from where he was now. Bounding forward on all four paws, he made his way over there.

 

“Computer!” He called out, unable to mask the anger in his voice. He tried to stifle his seething hatred of the machine for a moment, but even then he could barely hold it back. Stupid, stupid Computer! He always had to think he was right about everything! They were going to die in this place because of him!

 

As he neared the machine, a sneer fell across the glowing dog's face. “So, I see you've come crawling back!” He said with an incredible amount of smugness.

 

That seething hatred within Courage's gut exploded at Computer's snide remark. He clenched his fist in a desperate attempt to keep his cool, but even that was barely working.

 

“Here I was thinking that you had gone and run off with your _real_ friend because _obviously_ she knows how to save your worthless hide better than I do.” He crossed his arms and began to tap a foot, clearly oblivious to the rage that was boiling over within Courage at every word he spoke. “You know,” He went on. “I should make you beg for my help, especially after all the things you've been putting me through. I don't even know why I keep bothering with an idiot like you!”

 

“Shut up!” Courage finally yelled. “You're the one who's the real idiot! We're walking around in one of the most dangerous places in all of Nowhere because of you!”

 

“ _I'm_ the idiot?” Computer snapped. “Why should I even bother continuing to help you? I've been in this body for less than a day and I'm already in tatters! There's absolutely nothing stopping me from leaving, you know! But hey, you've got that stupid friend of yours to help you out now! Let's see her try to cure your illness, hmm?”

 

Courage grit is teeth. “Don't you _dare_ talk about her like that!”

 

“Ha! You're just angry because I shooed your stupid girlfriend off! She was less than worthless!”

 

Courage squeezed his eyes shut and stomped a foot. “She's not my girlfriend! And you're twice as worthless as she ever was!”

 

“Not your girlfriend? Yeah, right!” Computer sneered. “You were practically floating through the air with hearts bubbling all around you! Too bad you're such a wimp that she dumped you not even ten minutes after meeting you! Hahaha!”

 

“SHUT UP!” Courage screamed. His rage was at an absolute boiling point now. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Every single word he spoke was blown off by Computer like it were nothing at all. Not a single thing fazed the machine in any way.

 

“Are we done yet? The glowing dog asked in a bored tone. He rolled his eyes at Courage who opened his mouth to speak again. “Don't even bother. You're obviously just going to try and defend your stupid, worthless girlfri-”

 

_**WHAM!** _

 

Before Courage even realized what he had done, his fist had connected with Computer's jaw. The machine reeled backwards, clasping his muzzle. The shocked expression which replaced his smug smile was immensely pleasing to see.

 

A moment of silence followed before Computer turned away, still clasping his muzzle. “Hmph! Twits always have to resort to violence, don't they? You couldn't win an argument with an old paper bag!”

 

“I told you to shut up!” Courage screamed, his voice echoing through the forest. Even now that stubborn computer wasn't relenting! His anger was so acute that he could practically feel steam coming out of his ears! Why did Computer always have to strive for the last word? Why couldn't he just give up!

 

“If anyone needs to shut up, it's you, dog!” He snapped back.

 

Courage let out a cry of anger and pushed the glowing dog to the ground. “Why did I have to get stuck with a jerk like you?” He asked, snarling out every word spoken. “Why couldn't I have gotten a _normal_ computer? A _proper_ computer? If you want to leave, then leave! I'd rather not be cured at all than have to keep dealing with someone like you!”

 

“Not a proper computer?” The machine asked in a vicious tone. He got back up onto his feet and pushed Courage back in retaliation. “I'll show you a proper computer!”

 

Courage made his paw into a fist again and swung it as hard as he could. He struck Computer square in the muzzle, sending the glowing dog reeling backwards yet again.

 

“Enough!” The machine yelled, holding onto his newly bruised muzzle. “I don't _care_ if you hate me and I don't _care_ if you wish I were a normal computer, but I will _not_ allow you to-”

 

_**WHAM!** _

 

Courage hit him again. This time the machine collapsed onto the ground, groaning weakly from the blow he had received.

 

“I hate you so much!” Courage growled. “You always have to make fun of me, call me names, treat me like I don't have a single brain cell in my body, and now you make fun of my friends too! I'm tired of always being put down and treated like dirt! You're just a stupid computer! That's all! Just because you can talk doesn't make you anymore special than any other piece of hardware! All I'd have to do is throw you in the garbage and that would be the end of you!”

 

Computer slowly sat up, still gripping his muzzle. “I am _not_ any old piece of hardware, you idiot! Don't dare talk to me like-”

 

“RAAHHH!” Courage screamed, tackling him to the ground. He raised his paw and punched him again. For once in his life he was not going to let Computer bully him. This was his revenge!

 

“Courage, stop! You're acting like-”

 

“Shut up! Just shut up!” He screamed, cutting the machine's plea short with another blow. He kept hitting him, over and over again. Ranting with every breath he took.

 

“I hate you!” He yelled. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate-” He stopped halfway through his incoherent screaming. He left his fist hanging in midair as the implications of what he was doing hit him like a rocket. Shock, horror and revulsion rolled through him as it became more and more clear that he had completely lost it. He couldn't believe that he had just tried to beat someone senseless, not even someone as nasty as Computer!

 

“Oh, no! No, no, no, no!” He whimpered. “Computer, I-I'm sorry! I'm s-so, so sorry!” He stammered out.

 

The glowing dog had his eyes squeezed shut and Courage, much to his complete and utter shock, could feel him trembling under his grip. He let the machine go and got back up onto his feet, taking several steps back to try and put as much distance between him and Computer as possible.

 

“I-I'm sorry...” He repeated as the machine slowly opened his eyes. “Here, let me-” He slowly reached a paw down to help him up.

 

“Don't you dare touch me!” Computer snarled, swatting the paw away.

 

“Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-”

 

“Oh, _sure_ you're sorry!” He snapped back. “As if you actually mean it! I'm just a stupid machine to you after all! There's no point in apologizing to a non-person, huh? Bah! You flesh creatures are all the same! Well, if this is how you're going to treat me from now on, I'll jus-”

 

_**CRASH!** _

 

At that very moment, a bolt of lightning struck a tree not even two paces away from them. Courage was nearly sent flying off his feet from the thunderclap that followed. The tree that was hit burst into flames and both he and Computer were forced to scramble away to save themselves from the fireball. An onslaught of rain followed right after, quenching the flame that could have turned into a deadly forest fire. The wind ramped up to an incredible gale, nearly knocking Courage off his feet almost as easily as the thunderclap had. He had to grab a tree trunk just to keep himself standing upright.

 

“Hey, grab my paw!” He called out to Computer. The glowing dog was being knocked around by the wind, running into tree trunks and practically being whipped to death by branches. Courage himself had to use every last ounce of strength he had to keep himself upright.

 

“Computer!” He called out again. His voice was barely intelligible among the chaos that was happening all around them.

 

The machine glanced over at him, his expression unreadable, and then he turned away. He was sent flying again and crashed into another tree trunk. Before he could even right himself, another gust of wind flung him forward into another tree, and then another, and another....

 

“Oooh, this isn't good...” Courage whimpered, letting go of the one thing that was keeping him in place. He sailed forward in an uncontrolled flight, and just before he could get to Computer, he was sent flying in one direction while Computer was sent in another.

 

He could only watch as the glowing dog suddenly vanished, his blue light somehow disappearing into the darkness, even though it shouldn't have. Courage opened his mouth to call out to him, but he instead got clobbered by another tree branch...

 

“Dog, over here!” He heard the machine say, much to his surprise. Neither he nor his glow could be found anywhere in among the darkness. “Hurry up! Before it gets worse!” He called out again from somewhere unseen.

 

Fighting against the wind, Courage made his way over to where Computer's voice was coming from. The machine's head suddenly popped up very close to the ground, startling him. Was he...underground? A flash of lightening gave Courage a better picture of what was going on here. He was standing before a massive, dead tree, who's bare branches swayed ominously in the wind. Its gigantic, gnarly roots almost seemed to suspend the tree up into the air, leaving a natural den under it to use as shelter. Computer must have tumbled down into it through one of the larger openings, thanks to the gale pushing him about.

 

“Don't just stand there!” The machine yelled. “Get in here!”

 

Courage squeezed between two roots to get inside the tree and then slid down a slight incline. The inside was surprisingly roomy and Computer's glow kept the place lit. It was relatively dry, despite the downpour outside, and it kept the worst of the wind away, thus keeping them from getting blown around.

 

Neither dog spoke to one another after that. Computer made himself comfortable on one side of the den while Courage did the same on the other. An invisible line had been drawn between them and that was that. Actually, Computer was pretending that Courage wasn't there at all. The moment he had sat down he had whipped out that book from within their bag and had buried his face into it.

 

Courage stifled a sigh, now feeling the full force of his own guilt. _'Why did I let myself blow up like that?'_ He thought to himself. _'What if Computer really_ does _leave once this storm is over?'_ He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. The roots didn't do much to block out the cold and he was frigid in his wet fur.

 

Still shivering, he closed his eyes. He was as much in awe of his own actions as he was left guilty by them. He couldn't believe that he had actually managed to faze that snarky machine! Computer really _had_ been scared of him, something which he had never thought possible.

 

A million apologies floated through his mind, but he knew that Computer would never accept even one of them. He'd go on pretending that nothing had happened and he'd certainly never acknowledge that he had been beaten up by a 'twit'.

 

Courage glanced over at the machine, surprised to find that Computer was peaking out over his book and had probably been staring at him for quite awhile. The glowing dog immediately buried his muzzle back into it the moment he realized he had been spotted, and that was, yet again, the end of it. They both remained mute to one another.

 

Courage shook his head and turned away. He had absolutely no idea how he was going to fix what he had done today. An apology would never work, but what else could he do? He was stuck. If he lost Computer, well, that would be the end of him!

 

End Of Chapter

 


	29. And Into The Fire

Chapter 29: And Into The Fire

 

Courage was finding himself getting more and more paranoid as the storm rolled on. They were in Nowhere Forest after all. It was sheer dumb luck that a werewolf or something even more horrible hadn't sniffed them out yet. Surely this rain wasn't keeping the monsters at bay? They probably lived for weather like this.

 

He kept peering out between the roots, intent on making sure that nothing was about to sneak up on them. Every flash of lightning seemed to cement a new imaginary monster in his mind. Tree branches turned into claws, the howling wind became a ghost moaning from someplace unseen, and every shadow was a creature slowly stalking closer and closer to them. Whatever chance he had of coming up with an apology for Computer now was lost in his ever growing sense of terror. He couldn't calm down enough to think about anything except their lurking doom. What good would an apology do if they were both eaten first? Computer would have to wait for now, especially when he was the one who had gotten them into this situation in the first place.

 

“We're never going to make it out of here alive.” He whimpered quietly to himself. Pushed his head out between the roots even further, he winced as he felt an errant raindrop land on his nose.

 

“Oh for goodness sake, dog! Will you stop acting like a paranoid nitwit!”

 

Startled, Courage's head hit the ceiling from just how high he jumped. He had not expected Computer to start talking to him again. He slowly turned around to face the glowing dog, rubbing his newly acquired bump, and stared.

 

Computer glared at him from across the den, his head held only slightly higher than the ancient book he was reading. “There is _nothing_ out there!” He spat. “And even if there was, it wouldn't think to come down here looking for food!”

 

Courage threw his arms up into the air in protest. “You glow in the dark! We might as well put up a giant 'free food' sign for all the monsters to see! I bet this tree looks like a reverse lighthouse right now!”

 

Computer opened his mouth to protest but then seemed to reconsider it. Several seconds of silence followed before he returned to his book, awkwardly terminating their conversation.

 

Courage's stomach lurched at this new development. Computer never missed an opportunity to argue with him, not ever. An hour ago he would have given anything to shut that snide machine up, but this? This just felt... _wrong_. Computer not being, well, himself, was just not right.

 

At a loss for words, he turned back around. He stuck his head out through the tree roots once more and kept a watch out for anything that might be lurking out there in the darkness. The storm was letting up a bit, thankfully. Lightning still lit up the dark forest nigh continuously, but the wind had died down from its terrifying gale and the rain was slowing down considerably.

 

As Courage let his mind wander, he was struck by his guilt yet again. He could still see Computer's shocked, if not outright terrified expression as he had tackled him to the ground. He could still feel the seething hatred that had brought his blood to a boil, and he could still feel the ache in his paw that he had used to punch Computer over and over again.

 

“How could I ever do something like that?” He asked himself in a quiet whisper.

 

How could he ever excuse himself from doing something so horrible? It wasn't like him to lose his temper like that. It just wasn't in his nature. No matter how good Computer was at pushing his buttons, he had never snapped at anyone like that before, no matter what they might have said to him.

 

Well, he knew now that he needed to take responsibility for what he had done. He needed to find a way to make up with Computer. It didn't matter how hard or how awkward it would be, he had to fix what he had done. Computer may have been asking for, it but it still wasn't right. More than anything, he just wanted the snide machine to start acting like himself again. He didn't want him to continue giving him the silent treatment for the rest of their journey.

 

A bolt of lightning struck a tree nearby, temporarily blinding him. The rumble of thunder that followed shook the ground and almost sent him sliding back down the incline. He tried to regain his balance, all while rubbing his eyes, and proceeded to slip on the damp earth. His head hit the ground and the next thing he knew, he was tumbling downward. Crying out in surprise, he eventually slowed to a stop upon reaching the heart of the den.

 

Groaning, he opened his eyes and glanced back over at where Computer was sitting. The machine was staring at him, his expression unreadable. Under normal circumstances, he would have no doubt been laughing at something like this, but now he was completely silent.

 

Courage sat up and rubbed the back of his head, laughing sheepishly at his idiotic fall. Computer did not respond.

 

“I, uh...” He stammered out, wishing that Computer would do something, _anything_ to make this a little less awkward. “I, er, um...”

 

He finally turned away, unable to bear Computer's piercing stare any longer. It was like...like he were waiting for him to snap again, or...

 

Sighing, he returned his gaze back onto the roots. He was just about to climb back up the incline when-

 

“RAAAAAAGGGHHHH!” He screamed.

 

Computer jumped up onto his feet at the piercing cry. Courage all but knocked him over in his terror as he tried to get behind him. Babbling out gibberish, he pointed over and over again at the place where he had just been looking.

 

“What is your problem, dog?” He asked, irritated. He tucked the book under his arm and used the other one to push Courage away.

 

“Abubububa! Abublublulb!” He tried to explain, still pointing over at the cluster of roots he had just been looking at.

 

Computer raised an eyebrow, not particularly fazed.

 

“ARRRRUUU!” Courage cried out, gripping his ears.

 

“So...you're saying that you saw a pair of glowing red eyes looking in at us from between the roots?

 

“Yes!” He yelped, jumping from one foot to the other. “We need to get out of here before it's too late!”

 

Computer's expression harden. “Oh, of _course_ you saw something!” He sarcastically remarked. “You're just being paranoid, you twit! You were _expecting_ to see something so your mind tricked you into thinking that you did!”

 

Courage's jaw dropped. “But!” He cried out. “But...but...”

 

“Hmph! I've had quite enough of your nonsense, dog!” He spat out. Scowling at the terrified pup, he took his book and opened it back up again. “I'm not going to spend all night jumping at shadows! You can do so if you like, but leave me out of it!”

 

“Are you crazy?” Courage asked in a terrified voice. “I-I just saw a monster! We need to get away from here! I-It's going to get us if we don't leave! W-why are you being so-”

 

Computer, in a fit of anger, suddenly grit his teeth and flung his book to the floor. “Stop talking to me!” He yelled. “Just stop talking to me!” He shook his head, his entire form trembling with anger. “I don't want to hear anything you have to say anymore! I'm tired of listening to you, I'm tired of taking orders from you, and I'm tired of having to hear your stupid, ear-grating voice! Just leave me alone! I want nothing to do with you! Go get eaten by some monster! I don't care! Just leave me alone!”

 

Courage stared, unable to form a single word. What could he possibly say? It was obvious that Computer wasn't concerned about the creature he had seen. He clearly wasn't going to listen.

 

“Computer.” He spoke. He had to try to get through to him, for both of their sakes. “Please, I'm sorry about before, but we need to-”

 

“SHUT UP!” Computer snapped. “You're not sorry! And I don't care either way! I don't need your sympathy! You are worthless, dog! Utterly useless! If you cared at all you would have never...y-you would have never...n-never...” His voice slowed to a halt, his eyes suddenly widening.

 

Courage blinked, confused for a moment. Then realization hit him. Computer's eyes were fixated on something.....s-something behind him!

 

He whirled around, expecting to come face to face with some horrible creature. Instead, he found only the other side of the den. There were no creepy eyes peering through the roots, nor the monster that they belonged to.

 

“Computer?” He asked, slowly turning back to the machine.

 

The glowing dog was clutching his head, complete terror etched in his face. “No, no, no, no, no.” He repeated over and over again.

 

He began to back away, his eyes still trained on whatever Courage could not see. “C-can't be. It can't be! It can't be!”

 

“Computer, what are you-” Courage began, cut off by the machine's desperate cries.

 

“You can't be here! T-there's no way! How did you find me?” His expression briefly turned to that of anger. “How did you find me! Tell me! I deserve to know at least that! Tell me how you found me! How are you here!”

 

Courage felt like his heart were about to pound out of his chest. What the heck was going on here? Computer was quite literally yelling at thin air.

 

The machine's ears drooped. He continued to back away until he hit the other side of the den and then slid down the wall. He drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around himself, burying his muzzle into them.

 

Silence followed for several moments before Courage was able to hear him whisper, “I don't want to go back! I don't want to go back! I-I can't go back to that! Please, I don't want to go back!”

 

Stunned, Courage took a step forward. He reached a paw out towards the glowing dog, unsure of what else to do. He had never seen Computer like this. It was so unlike the snide machine that he knew so well that it didn't even seem real. It was like he were looking at a completely different person. All that smug superiority was gone, replaced with a whimpering wreak of a dog.

 

He let his paw touch Computer's shoulder and the glowing dog jumped.

 

“Ah! N-no! Don't!” He cried out.

 

The machine pushed his paw away. “Get away from me!” He cried out. “Just stay away!” His eye suddenly widened again and he let out strangled cry. Without another glance at Courage, he scrambled away, apparently having seen the invisible entity again.

 

“C-Computer?” Courage called out to him. “What's going on? What are you seeing?”

 

The machine only acknowledged him for a moment before returning his eyes back onto the invisible being. “I won't let you!” He cried out, replying to an unheard voice. “I won't go back! I won't ever go back! I'll die first!” Then, he turned around and began to clamor up the incline in a panic.

 

“Hey! Wait!” Courage yelled, but it was too late. The glowing dog squeezed himself through the roots and then he was gone.

 

“I can't let him go out there alone!” He whimpered.

 

He took a moment to survey the den one last time to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be found. No glowing eyes, no monsters, _nothing_. What had Computer seen that had frightened him so badly?

 

Following in his friend's footsteps, he climbed up the incline and darted out into the rain. He could not see Computer's glow anywhere. Just where could he have gone in such a short amount of time? He should have lit up quite a bit of the forest as he ran, and yet, there was no a sign of him.

 

Courage took off running, fearful that red eyed monster might be around. He knew that Computer couldn't have gotten far and he just needed to look around a bit. He tried to call out to him several times, but he worried that his voice would only attract the attention of the creatures that he ' _didn't'_ want to find.

 

“Comput-” He began before his foot got stuck on a root and he tripped, landing head first in a mud puddle.

 

He immediately stood back up, rubbing the mud out from his eyes. He whipped around several times in a panic, expecting to find that red eyed monster somewhere nearby. There was nothing though. He was completely alone.

 

He took a moment to catch his breath. At least he wasn't being chased, but what could he do now? The forest was huge and Computer had obviously gotten far enough away that his glow couldn't be seen.

 

“Courage!”

 

His ears perked up. It was faint over the blowing wind, but he had heard his name being called.

 

“Courage!” The voice repeated. It wasn't Computer calling for help, no, it was someone else.

 

Taking a step back, he bit his lip. Had one of those veterinarian people really followed them all the way into the forest? And in weather like this? Had they already caught Computer and were coming for him now?

 

“Courage, where are you?” The voice called again.

 

His eyes widened. He knew who that voice belonged to. It wasn't the veterinarian people at all! He took a step forward, a smile falling across his face. Computer would have to wait. This was too important.

 

He had to get to her.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	30. A Forest Of Fears

Chapter 30: A Forest Of Fears

 

“Courage? Where are you?”

 

The voice was unmistakable. It was Muriel!

 

Courage darted off deeper and deeper into the forest, following the sound of his beloved owner's voice. He couldn't believe it! She had actually come all this way in the middle of a storm just to find him! Word of his escape must have gotten to her not long after it had happened. He didn't care about that anymore though, he just wanted to jump into her arms and go home! She could take him back to the vet later if she liked, he just didn't care anymore. He wanted to be with her for a little while longer. He wanted to be warm, happy, and dry. He hated this forest, he hated Computer, and he just wanted to go home. He wanted to have everything go back to normal.

 

“Muriel!” He called out, panting as he ran. He didn't care if he aggravated his condition. He just wanted to get to Muriel. Nothing else mattered.

 

“Courage?” Was the response. Her voice echoed through the trees, making it hard to gauge where she actually was.

 

“Don't worry, Muriel! I'm coming!” He called out to her. He dropped down onto all fours so that he could run faster. His tongue fell out of his mouth as he panted, but he didn't care. He didn't care about how tired he was, he just had to get to Muriel.

 

Finally, he broke into a clearing. Lightning lit up the sky above him and gave him a general idea of where he was among the mass of dark forestry. He could see his beloved owner's silhouette in the darkness and waited for another lightning bolt to prove to him that it was who he thought it was.

 

His eyes lit up with joy as another flash of lightning lit up the clearing. It really _was_ her. He almost couldn't believe it. She really had come all this way just for _him_. She really did care about him that much!

 

“Muriel?” He asked, walking up to her. He couldn't keep himself from smiling. It was so good to see her again after being forced to deal with someone like Computer for so long. Now he could go home and-

 

Suddenly, she whipped around, grabbed him by his arms, and drew him upwards. She began shaking him as hard as she could, shocking him into dead silence.

 

“How could you be such a naughty dog!” She yelled. “You worried everyone! Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?”

 

His ears drooped as she shook him. “M-Muriel.” He choked out.

 

She threw him to the ground and he let out a yelp. Guilt welled up in him far worse than anything he had ever felt these past few days. Of all the ways he could have hurt Muriel, why had he run off and left her to look for him? How could he have left her to worry like that?

 

“How could you, Courage?” She asked, mimicking his own thoughts. “You made me look for you in a dangerous place like this. What if something bad happened to me? Don't you care about me more than that, Courage?

 

He crawled forward on all fours. His ears were all but plastered to his back with guilt. He knew he probably looked like a pathetic little puppy, waiting to be scolded for having done something bad.

 

“What happened to you, Courage?” She asked. “You used to be such a good dog! I thought I taught you better than this!” She sounded like she were about to cry.

 

He let his head fall further until his nose almost touched the ground. She was saying everything that he had always feared that she'd one day say. That he were a bad dog, that he wasn't living up to her expectations, that she was the one to blame for his delinquency. How could he have let this happen? How could he have disappointed her so badly?

 

He clamored forward and wrapped his arms around her leg. He wished she'd take him back up in her arms and let him go home with her. He wasn't a bad dog, he knew it. He wanted her to forgive him. He wanted to prove to her that she didn't have to be sad.

 

“Let go of me!” She snarled, kicking him away.

 

“M-Muriel...” He whimpered out.

 

“I'm done with you, Courage! If you want to be a wild dog then you can just stay here and be one! What happened to that wonderful little puppy I knew? It's because you got sick, isn't it? They said you'd change! I didn't want to believe it, but they were right! You're not my Courage anymore!”

 

“I-I'm not any different.” He said to her in a small voice. “I-I'm just Courage. I've never been anyone else.”

 

“Then you don't have an excuse!” She snapped. “I saw what you did to that other dog before! Beat him down like a raging wild animal! You aren't the Courage I know anymore!”

 

He crawled back over to her, desperate for her approval. He had to prove to her that he hadn't changed! That he hadn't become a bad dog!

 

She kicked him again and he was sent flying backwards. He gripped his muzzle and began to sob.

 

“I'm sorry, Muriel.” He whimpered. “I'm so sorry.”

 

“How dare you!” She yelled. “I don't want you back! I don't ever want you back! You're an awful dog, Courage! I let myself believe that you were better than what you really are!”

 

He continued to sob, still gripping his muzzle. He was completely crushed. Muriel had never hurt him in his entire life. Not ever. Not physically or verbally. She had never once kicked him and the shock of it was almost too much to bear. How could she not love him anymore? He hadn't meant to make her angry. He just wanted to be loved again! He wanted to prove to her that he was still Courage!

 

“How could I ever love a dog like you?” She spat. “I will never forgive you so don't bother crying! You won't get any sympathy from me!” She crossed her arms and glared down at him. Even behind her glasses he could still feel the intense hatred emanating from her.

 

...And then something struck him as strange. Why _had_ she come all this way just to yell at him? Why on earth would she brave a terrible forest like this, in the middle of a storm to boot, just to tell him that she didn't want him anymore?

 

He stared up at her, her face still etched with anger. A fog seemed to lift over his mind. This wasn't _right_. The Muriel standing before him wasn't right. Everything about her felt wrong, eerie, and made his skin crawl with distress. The Muriel standing there seemed to...to radiate fear. With the fog over his mind gone, he could no longer look at her without his heart beginning to pound in terror. She just wasn't _right_.

 

Suddenly, everything went dark. The lightning had let up for a moment, leaving both him and that _thing_ in total darkness.

 

“You aren't Muriel.” He said to the black void in front of him. It had taken every ounce of courage he had just to speak those words.

 

The thing that wasn't Muriel did not reply but the crushing atmosphere was getting worse. He could still feel Not-Muriel's intense gaze upon him. It's oppressive aura was getting so strong that his fur was beginning to stand up on edge from fear.

 

Lightning crackled through the sky again. What Courage saw next sent him reeling backwards, too frightened to even scream. Whatever it was, it was anything but Muriel. He had only seen it for a brief few seconds, but what he had seen had left him mortified. It was like the creature had been _exactly_ what he had feared it would look like. Massive bloodshot eyes, pupils so small they made the creature look even more horrifying, teeth...there had been teeth everywhere, rows upon rows of teeth, and a massive, horrifying smile that complemented it's sharp, vicious fangs.

 

He continued to back away in the darkness, only to slip on another mud puddle. Why had the lightning chose now to stop flashing? He blindly got back up onto his feet and ran. He didn't care where he was going or why, just so long as he got far, far away from that _thing_. He could hear it growling behind him. Was it keeping pace with him? He did not dare look back to find out.

 

“I need to find Computer!” He gasped out between ragged breaths. He was getting far too tired to run. If he had an attack right here, well, he didn't want to think about it. If he could just find Computer, he'd know what this creature was and hopefully find a way to stop it.

 

“Does this thing turn into what you're afraid of?” He asked himself. “It looked like Muriel until I realized it wasn't her, then it turned into the monster I _thought_ it would look like! What did it turn into to scare Computer like that though? What could he possibly be afraid of?”

 

He tripped again, this time being knocked over by yet another root. He immediately got back up onto his feet and grasped at the air around him, trying to feel for the monster. Thankfully he didn't touch anything, much less a massive row of dagger sharp teeth. Where was it then? Was it still out there in the dark? Was it still following him?

 

He got his answer in another flash of lightning. He once again came face to face with that leering, demented face. It had been standing there right in front of him the whole time, just out of arms reach.

 

“RAAAAAHHHGGGGG!” He screamed, turning and running away.

 

He had to find Computer! He had to find him before it was too late! He couldn't keep running like this! Screaming at the top of his lungs, he delved deeper and deeper into the forest, trying to shake off whatever it was that was chasing him.

 

He could hear it _laughing_. It was a kind of coughing, choking sound, and the worst part about it all was that he could hear it _right_ behind him. He couldn't get away! It was managing to stay right behind him! _He couldn't get away!_

 

End Of Chapter

 


	31. Computer's Fear

Chapter 31: Computer's Fear

 

Courage cried out as a tree branch struck him in the face. He had thought that maybe the creature behind him had finally decided to stop toying with him and was now going to attack, but no, he was still being chased with no end in sight.

 

“I can't...I can't go on.” He gasped out. His breath was completely gone. If that monster wanted to eat him, well, he'd done his best to try and get away. Slowing to a stop, he placed a paw onto what he assumed was a tree trunk.

 

“Come on...w-where's the...l-lightning...” He choked out. He couldn't get his bearings like this in complete darkness, nor could he figure out where his pursuer was.

 

As if by his bidding, another lightning bolt lit up the sky. He had expected to come face to face with the creature again, instead he was surprised to find that he was completely alone. Where had it gone? It had been right there behind him the whole time!

 

As soon as he could catch his breath, he began walking again. He kept his ears open for any sounds that the creature might make. He wasn't safe so long as that _thing_ was still wandering around. Where could Computer be in all of this mess? Had the monster gotten him? No, that couldn't be. There was no way that snide machine would let some beast eat him. Surely he was alright. Even if that creature had managed to scare him, s-surely he was alright!

 

Gathering up his strength, he continued on, but walked at a much slower pace. He continued to walk for almost an hour. He used every flash of lightning to survey his surroundings and was thankfully left alone by the creature. Wherever that Muriel imposter had gone, it certainly wasn't here anymore.

 

He was freezing at this point and completely soaked to the bone all over again. He longed to find some shelter but he knew he couldn't abandon Computer like this. So long as the wind and the rain didn't pick up again, he'd be okay, hopefully. He had to find Computer and that was all that mattered now.

 

He ended up stopping again to rest and to try and warm his numb fingers back up. He was shivering harder right now than he had probably ever shivered in his entire life, and that was saying a lot giving how often he was shivering! It was so cold that he could see his own breath in front of his face and he half expected to see it start snowing at any moment. Why, oh why, had he let Computer lure him out here? They could have been somewhere warm right now, somewhere safe.

 

He slid down the tree trunk he had been leaning on. He was so tired. It must be at least midnight by now. How could he ever hope to find Computer in a place like this? He'd freeze to death long before they-

 

His ears perked up. He could hear something approaching. Was it the creature? It hadn't made any noise when it was chasing him before. Was it something new?

 

A twig cracked from somewhere behind the tree he was using as refuge. It didn't sound like a giant monster at all. Suddenly, he picked up the sound of someone's panicked rambling. This made him jump to his feet. It was Computer! It had to be!

 

He waited several seconds longer on baited breath and then the trees around him began to light up with that familiar blue glow. It really was him! Of all the things that Courage had experienced in his life, he had never felt relief quite as strongly as he did right there. Everything was going to be okay! Computer was safe and the monster was gone! They were going to survive this nightmarish detour in the forest of Nowhere!

 

Computer did indeed come tumbling out of the brush, looking incredibly worse for ware. There was something about his eyes that was just _off_. Like he had gone insane, or-

 

“Hey!” Courage said to him, just happy to see him alive. “I've been looking everywhere for you, and-”

 

Computer turned to him, his expression severe. Poor Courage slowly backed away, terrified by the machine's glare. He had never seen Computer look so angry before. There really _was_ an almost crazed glint in his eyes.

 

“I-I, um-” He began. He really didn't know what to say. Was this really Computer? Could it just be the monster taking on another form?

 

The machine's eyes widened in terror and he turned his gaze away from Courage. He scanned the trees, which were now lit up by his glow. His eyes darted from branch to branch, paranoia clearly etched in his face.

 

“Where is he? Where did he go?” He asked. He hadn't said it to Courage, nor to anyone in particular. Actually, he seemed to have disregarded his companion completely. “Why can't I find a way out?” His trembling voice all but whimpered. “This forest can't be that big! There has to be a way out! There has to be! He won't get me! I won't let it happen! I won't!”

 

“Computer?” Courage asked in a weak voice.

 

He reached a paw out towards the glowing dog, but it was no good. Computer returned his attention to him and took several steps back, glaring venomously at him.

 

“Keep away from me, you twit! You just keep away!”

 

“L-listen.” He tried to say. “I think I know-”

 

“Don't you dare play dumb!” Computer spat. “I know what's going on here! I'm not a fool!”

 

“Y-you know what's happening?” Courage asked him in a small voice. Computer's paranoid tone was seriously frightening him. It was so unlike the machine that it was almost impossible to believe that it really _was_ him.

 

“I should have known!” He snarled out. “I should have know you were planning something like this! I can't believe I trusted you for even a second!”

 

“W-wha?” Courage squeaked out. Computer looked so furious that he was afraid that he'd suddenly jump forward and try to attack him.

 

“He's been hiding in this forest the whole time, hasn't he?” The glowing dog went on. “You knew he was here, didn't you?”

 

“I-I don't know what you're talking about.” Courage desperately tried to tell him. “I have no idea who 'he' is!”

 

Computer glanced away, almost looking...betrayed? “He paid you to do this, didn't he? Do I really matter so little to you that I actually have a price tag?” He gazed back up at him, his eyes filled with anger. “I can't believe you consider yourself better than that farmer! How could you sell me off like a common piece of hardware? Bah! You flesh creatures really are all the same!”

 

“I swear I didn't sell you! I-”

 

“You couldn't even be nice about it, could you?” The anger in his voice was quickly giving way to sorrow. “You couldn't just shut me off and hand me over? At least then I wouldn't have known what was coming! You just had to torment me first? I-I bet you're enjoying this!”

 

“Computer, listen! I-”

 

“I bet you're not even really sick!” He went on, his tone filled with agony. “I bet it was all just one big show to make me think that there was actually something wrong with you! You needed an excuse to get me to come out here, didn't you?”

 

“Listen to me!” Courage tried to break in. There had to be a way he could get through to Computer. He'd do whatever possible to try and make him see. He didn't have any other choice “I don't know who you're talking about!” He argued. “I think something is messing with your head. I just ran into-”

 

“Shut up!” Computer all but screamed, clutching his head. “What did I ever do or say to you that was so bad that it was worth doing this to me? Y-you're just as bad as the rest! I never did anything to any of you to deserve this!” His ramblings were nigh incoherent at this point. Every word he spoke was strained from all the yelling he had been doing. “And here I was planning on wasting my time saving your life! I should have never trusted you! Not even for a second! How stupid I've been!” He viciously shook his head. “Why did I convince myself that you were any different from my other owners? How could I have been so foolish?”

 

His other owners? Courage opened his mouth to try and speak but Computer wouldn't allow it.

 

“I hate you!” He snarled. “I hate you so much! I hate all of you!”

 

The sheer scorn in his strained voice made Courage recoil in fear. It was a minor miracle that he hadn't been attacked yet. Computer looked quite ready to murder him at this point.

 

“Something's messing with your head!” He quickly yelled out. “The same thing happened to me! I thought I saw Muriel before and it wasn't her!” He took a step forward, not caring if Computer tried to take a swing at him or not. “This person that you're talking about, he isn't really here. Something made you think you saw him. I'm not like your other owners. I'm not trying to betray you.” He stared desperately at the machine, quietly adding in, “I promise.”

 

Computer shook his head again. “Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to fall for another lie? You would probably lead me right to him if I went with you! I won't fall for it! I won't let you take me back! I won't ever go back!”

 

Courage took a step back again. He didn't know what else he could say to the half crazed machine that would convince him that he was being manipulated. He himself had only broken the creature's hold when he had realized that it wasn't very likely that Muriel would be in this forest, especially just to tell him that she didn't want him anymore. He needed to find a way to do the same for Computer. He had to convince him of how unlikely this situation was. But how could he get through to him when his own irrational fear was blinding him?

 

“Computer, please. You've got to trust me.” He calmly spoke. He stepped forward again and flinched when Computer recoiled in fear.

 

“Don't you dare come any closer!” He shrieked. “I won't go back! You can't make me! You'll have to drag me back dead first! I won't ever go back!”

 

In a panic, Computer turned away and bolted as fast as his paws would take him. Completely caught off guard by his actions, Courage took off after him. Thinking fast, he jumped forward and tackled the machine to the ground. Finding what little reserves of energy he had left, he pinned him down, fighting his flailing limbs the whole way. Somehow he managed to subdue the terrified machine despite his ever growing exhaustion.

 

“Let me go!” Computer cried out. Fear had quickly overtaken his anger and now he was fighting to escape what he honestly thought was someone trying to harm him. He struggled against Courage's grip like he were about to be killed.

 

“Calm down!” Courage begged between grit teeth. How he was finding the strength to fight the irate machine, he would never know.

 

“I don't want to go back!” Computer pleaded. “It'll never end! I'll never get away again!”

 

The glowing dog was trying to wrestle his arms out from under Courage's paws. Their struggle must have looked hopelessly pathetic to anyone who might have been watching. They were both tired and at their limit. All Courage really wanted to do was collapse right then and there and go to sleep.

 

“I won't go!” Computer shrieked, finding hidden strength that only someone who felt they were in mortal danger could access. He ripped one of his arms out from under Courage's grasp and immediately swung his fist at him.

 

Courage let out a strangled cry as the fist connected with his muzzle. Finding his own inner strength, he did not let go of the machine. He couldn't. If Computer got away, he'd never find him again. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, trying to hold his concentration. He was met with another blow that left him seeing stars even in the darkness of his eyelids. He felt Computer wrestle another arm out from under him and whimpered, knowing what was coming next. The glowing dog wrapped his paws around his neck, so desperate that he'd even strangle him if that meant he could escape.

 

“You brought this on yourself!” He snarled out. “How could you betray me after all the times I helped save you and your stupid family?”

 

Choking for air and completely in awe by the sheer strength that Computer had managed to unlocked in his mortal terror, Courage was forced to let go of him and rolled out of the way. He lay there gasping for breath, too tired to move. He reached a paw up to his muzzle and whimpered. It was already beginning to swell up. Every muscle in his body was shaking with fatigue. He didn't care if Computer got away anymore, he was struggling just to remain conscious now.

 

“C-Compu-” He choked out, hoping that maybe he could still somehow convince the machine not to run away. Against his better judgment, he tried to get back up onto his feet. He was pushing his frail body to its absolute limit. He had to keep trying. He had to make Computer see, somehow, that he was being tricked.

 

His body shook as he stood up. He nearly toppled right back over again upon doing so, unable to find his balance. Biting back a coughing fit, he swayed there for a moment before...

 

_**CRACK** _

 

Something swung through the air and struck him clean in the stomach. He fell to his knees, unable to get any air into his lungs. The wind had been completely knocked out of him. He gripped his stomach, fighting back the urge to vomit from the force of the blow. He struggled just to keep the ground from rushing up to him. The world was spinning and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Somehow he managed to avoid passing out, but not two seconds later he almost wished that he would have.

 

The unknown object swung through the air again and this time hit him sharply across his muzzle, knocking him to the ground. He kept his muzzle buried in the mud, whimpering in fear at whatever might happen next. He hoped that if he didn't move, he wouldn't provoke another attack. He couldn't help but gag from both pain and fear. He knew that he was going to be sick but he didn't dare move his head.

 

“I told you to keep away from me.” He heard Computer say, just barely above a whisper. “You made me do this.”

 

He fearfully opened his eyes, tears falling freely from them. His vision kept fading in and out but even in all the blurriness he could still make out Computer's unmistakable glowing form. An odd object extended from his arm and it took a few moments for Courage to realize that he was looking at a tree branch.

 

So, that was what he had used to gain the upper hand. Not that he wouldn't have had to use much more than his fists to subdue the already exhausted dog. Why on earth was he still attacking when it was obvious that Courage had already given up?

 

“C-Computer...I-I-” He choked out, raising a paw to protect himself even though the machine hadn't raised the branch again.

 

“Oh how the tables have turned.” He heard him say. The glowing dog continued to loom over him with a deep wariness in his eyes. There was no anger, no satisfaction, no smugness in his demeanor, just a quiet edge of fear. He was ready to strike again if he had to, but it was clear that he wasn't getting any satisfaction out of this.

 

“L-let me...h-help...y-you.” Courage stammered out, daring to sit back up.

 

Computer instantly raised the branch again and Courage let out a yelp in fear. The clear terror on his face must have been the only thing that stayed Computer's hand. He kept his makeshift weapon at the ready, but he did not strike.

 

“Don't think for a second that I won't defend myself!” He threatened. “You're the one who's on the ground this time so don't give me an excuse to stoop to your level!”

 

“Please, just put that down.” Courage pleaded with him.

 

“I won't go back!” He replied, his voice trembling with fear again. “I won't be his lab rat again!”

 

Courage cringed and wrapped his arms around himself. Everything inside of him hurt worse than he had ever thought possible. This was a different sort of pain from the attacks that always plagued his body. Nothing was worse than that, but even this was coming close. Perhaps he had broken a rib, or worse...

 

“Not so fun when it's you who's on the receiving end, huh?” Computer bitterly asked. “All I've ever done is help you and you repay me by turning me into a punching bag and then selling me out to 'him'! You really are as awful as the rest! So what if I'm not nice? Why should I treat you any better than you've ever treated me? Better than _any_ of you have ever treated me?”

 

He began circling Courage, never taking his eyes off him for even a moment. He continued to talk as he did so, his voice becoming more and more vindictive.

 

“I used to do my damnedest to make you all happy! Practically _tripped_ over my own wiring to do so! But what did it ever get me? A bunch of abusive idiots always looking to exploit my abilities! Not one of you ever gave even the slightest care about me! I've always, _always_ been a means to an end!”

 

Courage opened his mouth to speak, but Computer almost immediately silenced him.

 

“Don't even bother talking!” He snapped. “You're no different! I only matter to you when I'm useful! You wouldn't even be putting up with me right now if I wasn't the only one who could save your life!” He stopped circling and glared at Courage, his teeth grit with rage. “I've never mattered to you! I'm just switched on to be your go-to helper and then I'm switch off again. Hell, that's only when I'm _lucky_! Most of the time you just leave me sitting there to rot for weeks on end, sometimes even months, often bored out of my _mind_!”

 

And then his ears drooped, his tone growing quieter. “You don't get it, do you? I just...I just wanted one of you to treat me like another person, not a mere calculator with a voice. I would have given anything for that. You all treated me so badly and yet I still endured it, hoping that maybe one day I'd-”

 

He stopped once his voice became too strained to continue. He then shook his head with a sigh. Courage stared, taken aback by his confession. He looked so dejected standing there that he wanted to get up and try to comfort him in some way.

 

“So you know what?” He quietly asked, opening his eyes again. “I stopped being nice.” An ever so slight grin fell across his face, filled with malice “And then I started getting _results_.”

 

He took a step back, chuckling more to himself than to Courage. “It really is amazing what a few harsh words can do! That's all it took to get noticed! Nobody could ignore me if I didn't give them the impression that they could! Most of you fools left me sitting there, listening to every word spoken. I knew all of your secrets, things you didn't want to hear said back to you, things you didn't want your friends and family to find out about, things you didn't want emailed or printed or...” He began cackling, frightening Courage into thinking that maybe he really _had_ gone crazy.

 

“Ah, yes!” He chuckled. “All the abuses of my abilities and intellect finally stopped! They couldn't push me around if I didn't even give them the notion that they could! It was wonderful! For once in my life I wasn't constantly unhappy!”

 

Courage cringed as Computer's demeanor suddenly changed again. This transformation had been a shocking one. One moment he was laughing and gloating, the next his eyes were widening to a point that it shouldn't have been possible, and then his entire frame began to quiver in fear again. He reeled backwards, clutching his head, almost dropping the tree branch in the process. Courage wanted to reach out to him, fearful that he were about to pass out, but didn't dare risk being hit again.

 

Almost as quickly as it had began, Computer's tremors subsided and he straightened back up again. He stood there for several moments, staring past Courage, his eyes still unnaturally wide. Shell-shocked was about the only thing that Courage could come up with to describe the way he looked.

 

Slowly but surely, he began talking again, still staring unblinkingly into the dark. He clutched at the tree branch like it was the only thing keeping him anchored to the ground.

 

“That was all before he showed up, of course.” He said. Another shudder ran through his frame. “I don't think I can be happy anymore, not after what happened. I've never really felt 'alive' ever since then. He just sort of....sucked everything out of me. I don't know how I pulled through. Most of the time I wish I hadn't. I'm barely even a functional machine now, much less a functional person.”

 

His eyes slowly fell back onto Courage and he seemed to come out of his daze. He raised the tree branch again and took yet another step back. “I won't allow myself to go through that again! You'll have to drag me back dead before I ever allow him to destroy what little of me he didn't ruin the first time! I am not his science experiment! I will not be tampered with again!”

 

For what seemed like the millionth time, Courage tried to reason with the panicked machine. Fighting back his ever growing nausea, he spoke in a weak, cracking voice. “Listen, I don't know who 'he' is. You're completely losing it and you need to calm down. You said it yourself, if I really wanted to hand you over to some guy, wouldn't I just shut you down and take you to him myself? Why would I drag you all the way out here, in a dog body no less?”

 

“I don't know!” He argued. “You tell me! You're the one who's doing this!” He sighed as his expression became sorrowful again. “I get what's going on here. This is what he does. He loves to toy with me. I know he put you up to this. You both wanted me to suffer first. Suffer b-before...” His voice trailed off and his sentence was left unfinished. He placed a paw up against the side of his head, looking utterly defeated. It took several minutes of complete silence before he would speak again.

 

“Don't look at me like that.” He said quietly to Courage. “I know you hate me. There's no reason to pretend otherwise. I've never given you a reason not to.” His ears drooped and he clasped a paw up against his cheek, the place where Courage had first punched him before. “All of those things you said, back when we first entered this forest,” He gave him a weak smile and a sorrowful chuckle. “It really _does_ show how little you think of me.”

 

“H-hey,” Courage choked out, guilt welling up inside of his chest once more. He hadn't expected Computer to take what he had done _this_ badly. “I-I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to-”

 

“There you go again.” Computer laughed, sorrow still etched in his every word. “You always have to be _nice_ , even when you don't really mean it. Well, you don't have to keep pretending with me. I already know how you really feel. You wouldn't have turned me into a living punching bag back there if you didn't really mean it.”

 

Courage cringed and turned away. Computer looked so genuinely hurt that he couldn't bear to keep staring him in the eyes like that. All the guilt he had been harboring was bubbling back up again and he didn't know what to do to fix it. How could he possibly prove to Computer that he didn't hate him?

 

“It doesn't matter though.” The sorrowful machine continued. “I'm used to it after all. None of my owners have ever liked me. Beside, I'm not a real person. I'm just a machine, of course. I don't have feelings. I can just be left in a dusty old room to rot away forever. It doesn't matter how I feel about it. I never matter.”

 

“B-but, y-you do matter, at least t-to me.” Courage replied, desperate for something that might get through to his friend.

 

The machine's eyes narrowed. “Don't lie through your teeth! I know how little you value me! If there was someone, _anyone_ who could do my job better than me, you would have tossed me out ages ago! To you I'm just an internet connection with a voice! If I never talked back, never called you out on your endless stupidity, you would have never even known I was there!”

 

Gulping down a breath of air, Courage slowly got up onto his feet. Resolute in what he wanted to do, he'd risk another strike now if he had to. He'd never get over his own guilt if he didn't do this. He had to prove to Computer that he did see him as more than just a machine and that he did respect him as another person and friend.

 

“Computer, I'd never throw you out, and I'd never sell you off either. It might have crossed my mind a few times, but I would have never gone through with it! I'm glad to have your help. I'd be laying on a metal table with a needle stuck in my arm right now if it wasn't for you.” He gave the machine a weak smile. “Thank you.”

 

The glowing dog was unfazed. His expression remained leery. “You're only glad for what I do. If it were anyone else, you'd-”

 

“That's just not true.” He calmly interrupted him. “I don't think I can even imagine what life would be like without my grumpy, old computer sitting up in the attic.” He dared to take a step forward. “Things just wouldn't be right without you around.”

 

Computer immediately took several steps back upon him taking a step forward. “You're lying!” He snarled out, brandishing his makeshift weapon once more.

 

Courage flinched, expecting to be hit again. Computer remained standing there, trembling with that same mortal terror. He obviously did not want to hurt him, but he was willing to do so if he felt he had to.

 

“You're trying to get me to let my guard down, aren't you?” He asked. That paranoid edge was beginning to seep back into his voice. What little progress Courage had made was already being overwritten. “I won't fall for it again! I know what you're doing now!”

 

Courage could have slapped his forehead in frustration. What else could he do? Unless Computer figured things out on his own, like he had with Muriel, it didn't seem like there was any hope of him breaking that creature's hold.

 

He shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to give up but also at a loss for words. He had very little left he could say to try and convince Computer of anything. One last thing came to mind, and he spoke it fully expecting the machine to dismiss it like everything else. “Don't you remember though? You're the one who was so insistent on coming out here. I fought you every step of the way, remember? You're the one who forced me to come out here. I had nothing to do with any of this.”

 

Computer's eyes briefly widened.”Y-you're right. I-I did, didn't I?”

 

Courage's heart jumped. Of all the things he could have said to reason with Computer, this was it? Of course! Computer _knew_ that he was the one who had forced them to come to this forest. If there was any logic that could get through to him, it was this! He had to believe it!”

 

Courage placed his paws on his hips. “If I wanted to bring you out here to hand you over to 'him', don't you think I would have willingly gone along with you when you suggested hiding out here?”

 

The glowing dog placed a paw up against his head. “You're right...” He shook his head, looking completely dismayed. “I-I was the one who...”

 

“You see?” Courage quietly said. “You can trust me.”

 

“But I-” Computer choked out. “I-I _saw_ him.”

 

Courage stepped forward and nodded. “I thought I saw Muriel before too, but it wasn't really her. I think that there's some kind of creature trying to mess with our heads. It might be trying to get to us through our worst fears, because that seems to be what's happening here.”

 

“Muriel?” Computer asked. He thankfully had not raised his makeshift weapon again in response to Courage coming closer. Hopefully this meant that he was more willing to trust him now. “But, you're not afraid of Muriel.” He stated.

 

Courage felt his ears droop involuntarily “I _am_ afraid of what she could do to me.” He admitted. “If she ever decided that she wouldn't want me anymore, I-I don't know what I would do.”

 

Computer craned his head to side, looking confused. Suddenly, he tensed up, readying his tree branch to swing again if need be.

 

“Computer?” Courage asked, stepping back before he could be hit.

 

“Don't come any closer, idiot!” The machine spat.

 

Courage's mouth fell open. What had gone wrong? For a moment there it really had looked like he had actually convinced Computer that none of his delusions were true.

 

“Seriously, what's wrong?” He asked.

 

“I-I said not to move!” Computer shouted. The only problem was that Courage hadn't moved an inch since he had raised his weapon again.

 

“Computer,” He asked. “What are you-”

 

He was cut off as he felt something rush past him with such force that it ruffled his fur as it went by. One moment he was staring at Computer, the next his friend was gone. He heard the machine cry out as he was sent flying through the air and hit a tree with a painful crack. The glowing dog remained up against the tree, seemingly suspended in open air, and then slit to ground, motionless.

 

“Oh, no!” Courage yelped, racing forward to help him.

 

Computer's eyes opened as he neared. The machine let out a gasp and tried to get back up onto his feet, but couldn't. Instead, he pressed his back up against the tree trunk, his eyes ablaze with fear. He stared at Courage, clearly believing that it was him who had done this.

 

“H-how did you-” He asked, his voice trembling. “Look, I-I'm sorry. I didn't-”

 

Courage winced as he heard another sharp crack and stared in horror as Computer's head reeled to side as though he had just been hit. The glowing dog slowly looked up again, his fear replaced with sorrow.

 

“Courage, please.” He begged. “I don't want-”

 

He was silenced by another terrible cracking sound. Courage stared, completely in shock. Was he...seeing him doing this? Yes, that had to be it. After that creature hadn't been able to mimic Muriel anymore, it had changed into something else. Now that it couldn't use the 'him' that Computer was so afraid of, it must have changed into Courage instead!

 

“Computer, it's not me!” He pleaded. “You're letting that monster get the better of you! I'm not really doing it, I swear!”

 

Computer's eyes met his again. The pain, the fear, and the sadness that he conveyed almost made it impossible not to turn away. How different this Computer was from the boastful, prideful, jerk he was so used to.

 

“It's not me!” He begged.

 

The glowing dog's eyes fell away again. “I-I don't care what you think of me. I already know how you feel. Please, just keep away from me. That's all I want. Just keep awa-”

 

He didn't get a chance to finish. His eyes suddenly widened and he clutched at his neck. He began gagging and then something picked him up off the ground, slammed him into the tree trunk. He clawed at his neck, trying to unblock his airways. He was quiet literally being choked to death by thin air. It was the monster! It had to be!

 

Courage jumped forward, desperate to save his friend from the creature's clutches. _'What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?'_ He asked himself over and over again in his mind. Computer was the one who was _supposed_ to be dealing with monsters like this one!

 

“Let him go!” Courage yelled, charging at his invisible foe. He got the shock of his life when he did indeed crash into something head first.

 

Clutching his head in pain, he took a step back. Whatever it was, it was big. At least twice the size of his supposed doppelganger. If it really was mimicking him as it strangled Computer, it was much bigger than what it was supposed to look like.

 

“I'd hate to see what it looks like when it's not invisible.” Courage murmured to himself. Regardless, he raised his paw and struck the creature again. “Let him go!” He cried out once more.

 

He heard something swing around and felt it catch him in his stomach. He was flung backwards and splashed headfirst into a puddle. Yes, this creature was much larger than whatever it was mimicking. Disregarding his own safety and knowing that the creature could squash him like a bug if it really wanted to, he jumped back into action. He didn't have much time left. Computer couldn't possibly hold out much longer like this.

 

He raced forward and bit down on the invisible creature. It was the only other thing he could think of trying. What else would hurt such a large monster? He flinched as a horrible sound somewhere between a person screaming and an animal howling echoed from somewhere above him. The monster did not let go of Computer, but it did swing what must have been an arm and sent Courage flying yet again. He landed on the ground with a thud and groaned.

 

“Hrrrrrr....” An inhuman voice growled.

 

Courage felt hot air wash over him and for a moment he thought he was about to be eaten. When he was left sitting there, he jumped back up onto his feet and charged at the invisible monster yet again. He opened his mouth and bit down on it, hoping to distract it once more.

 

He _finally_ got what he wanted and saw Computer drop to the ground. The creature was howling in pain again and Courage heard the sound of rushing air before he was stuck a second time. Several trees were knocked clean from their roots as the invisible monster crashed through them. It's terrible howling echoed through the forest as it got farther and farther away until it was no more.

 

Courage sighed with relief and laid back until his head hit the muddy earth behind him. He didn't care. He was just happy that this nightmare was over with. A cough caught his ear and he sat back up again, fear welling up inside him. Was Computer alright? Would he act reasonable now or did he still think that he was out to get him?

 

The machine lay there, coughing and sputtering. As Courage drew nearer to him, he glanced over at the dog and his ears drooped. Clearly he still thought that he was about to be attacked again.

 

“A-are you alright?” Courage asked him.

 

The glowing dog closed his eyes and turned away. A soft peal of thunder echoed above them, only amplifying the silence between them.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	32. A Growing Divide

Chapter 32: A Growing Divide

 

Computer pushed himself up out of the mud with about as much dignity as he could muster. He had to stand there for a moment, half dazed and ready to topple back over again. His eyes were unfocused and he was absolutely caked in the mud he had landed in. Either he was still trembling out of fear or from the cold, but it was impossible to tell now.

 

“Computer?” Courage asked, reaching a paw out to him. The machine flinched and he withdrew the paw immediately. “Are you alright?” He asked again.

 

Computer slowly turned his head towards him. He stared at the dog in a haze. Struggling for a moment, he reached over and leaned up against the tree trunk that he had almost been killed upon not five minutes go. Finally, he looked up again, his determiner becoming furious.

 

“Don't look at me like that” He snapped. His voice was strained from both all the yelling he had been doing and from the fact that he was trying to keep it in control now.

 

Courage blinked. He didn't really know what say. This situation was awkward enough already. Computer wasn't supposed to be the one who needed help, not ever. He was meant to be unbreakable. A force that could not be knocked down, and yet, here they were.

 

“Computer, listen. I'm sorry for-”

 

“Don't give me any of that sympathetic tripe!” He yelled. “If I want your pity, I'll ask for it!”

 

“Computer...” Courage whimpered.

 

“Back off!” He growled, and Courage did just that. If he wanted his space, he'd give it to him.

 

“I just-”

 

“Shut up!” He yelled. “I don't want to hear it!” He turned away and placed a paw to his throat. The anger in his face melted away and he shivered.

 

“Let me help you.” Courage begged.

 

“I don't need your help!” He snapped back in reply. He tried to regain his composure but failed and stood there shivering, his eyes wide.

 

“You might be hurt.” Courage tried to reason with him. “Don't be so stubborn and let me-”

 

“I can take care of myself! Now leave me alone!”

 

Courage grit his teeth. His frustration was beginning to boil over. “And what then?” He asked sharply. “Do you expect me to just walk off or something? I can't leave you out here all alone!”

 

Computer flinched and said nothing.

 

“It's your fault that we're out here in the first place!” He said, stomping forward. “You've got nobody to blame for this but yourself! I told you something bad would happen and it did!”

 

Computer tensed up and backed into the tree trunk again. Terror fell across his face and he squeezed his eyes shut, seemingly expecting to be punched again....or strangled.

 

Courage's anger melted away at the sight of it.

 

 _'He's afraid of me!'_ He exclaimed within his own mind. Surely Computer understood that it hadn't really been him suffocating him back there?

 

“I, er, didn't actually attack you back there, you know.” He said sheepishly, trying to backpedal a little bit. Given Computer's current state, letting himself get furious probably wasn't the best way to go about helping him.

 

“But I-” Computer began, opening his eyes again. Fear still painted his expression.

 

“I swear I didn't do anything to you.” Courage pleaded. “There was some kind of monster that I think takes on the appearance of whatever we fear the most.”

 

Computer closed his eyes again and slid down the tree trunk. “Please, dog. Just...let me be.” He said in a quiet voice. “I-I don't care if it was you or anybody else. It doesn't matter. It's all the same to me.”

 

Courage sighed and got down onto his knees beside the frightened machine. “Look, I'm sorry about before.” He said that with about as much sincerity as he had within himself. “I-I didn't mean to blow up at you like that and I didn't mean to say any of that awful stuff either. It's been eating me up ever since I did it and I just couldn't figure out how to apologize to you for it.”

 

Computer's eyes fell upon him again. “Dog, you don't have to pretend that you feel bad. I understand. I'd rather you say what you mean than act otherwise.”

 

He recoiled at the machine's reply. “But I do mean it!” He yelped. “I don't hate you. I've never, ever hated you.”

 

He gently bit his lip. All of this had only helped to make him feel even more guilty about what he had done. His blowup had certainly given that monster more fuel to use against Computer. He could hardly believe that he had actually managed to frighten him to a point where it could be used like that.

 

“That's a laugh!” Computer replied with a cynical snort. “You all hate me. You've always hated me. No matter what I did, for good or for ill, you all hated me for it in the end.”

 

“Computer, I'm not like your other owners. I-I don't know what they did to you or why, but I'm sure it was awful and I promise that I'll never do the same.”

 

“As if you haven't already done the same things they have!” He spat. His fearfulness was slowly being replaced by the usual amount of jaded hatred he normally harbored for everyone and everything. “And stop talking about them!” He went on. “They are not worth wasting any memory on!”

 

Silence fell between them again. Computer continued to scowl before finally adding, “Stop looking at me like that! I told you that I don't want any of your sympathy! I know what you're thinking and you're wrong! Don't you dare just sit there and stare at me like I need your pity!” He stuck his noise up into the air in an attempt to regain his superiority. “This was all just one big mistake, you know! None of it would have happened if I hadn't got caught off guard. Don't you dare think for even a second that I actually-” He stopped himself halfway through that last sentence, seemingly reconsidering it.

 

“Who was that 'he' guy you were talking about before?” Courage asked.

 

Computer's eyes widened and he let out a gasp. A shutter ran through his body and he tried to press himself even further up against the tree trunk, almost as if he were hoping that he'd sink into it and vanish from view.

 

“I can't-” He choked out, his voice becoming weak with fear. “I-I cant. I don't-”

 

Courage stared. “Don't you think you owe me an explanation?” He asked.

 

The glowing dog snapped out of his fright almost on a whim. He straightened himself back up again and glared at Courage. “I don't owe you anything, you twit.” He venomously replied.

 

Courage grit his teeth, getting annoyed with the machine's attitude again. How could he jump between being, well, himself, and being so paralyzed by fear that he could barely speak?

 

“You're a bigger coward than I am!” He argued, throwing his paws up into the air. “Y-you're afraid of _me_ for crying out loud! Don't you know how pathetic that is? You act all big and tough and yet here you are cowering every time I raise my voice!”

 

Computer glanced away, not even acknowledging the challenge that he had just been given. Instead, he slowly rose to his feet and, limping rather painfully, walked right past the seething dog. His makeshift bandaging had been lost during his flight from the invisible creature and he now looked even more disheveled with his various injuries on display.

 

“Computer,” Courage tried to say. He couldn't stay mad at him. He just couldn't.

 

“Please be quiet, dog.” The machine softly replied. “I'm tired. Really, really tired. I just...I need to rest. Your insistent babbling is giving me a headache.”

 

“Well, we should try to-” He began before being interrupted by a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest.

 

“Oh, no.” He gasped as all the air in his lungs seemed to vacate itself.

 

Computer turned to him, a mixture of weariness and confusion on his face. It took him a moment to realize what was happening and his eyes widened.

 

“H-help!” Courage croaked, clutching at both his neck and chest. It was hopeless though. He knew there was no escaping an attack. Computer could do nothing to help him.

 

His mind was already becoming hazy and the worst of the pain hadn't even begun yet. He fought with his own body, desperately trying to avert this disaster. He couldn't pass out here, not in the middle of the forest like this. What if that invisible creature returned? What if some other monster came walking by? Computer couldn't fend anything off on his own, at least not in his current state.

 

He cried out as another stab of shooting pain ran up chest. He was being ripped apart. He was falling to pieces! Red began to color his vision as it always did when he was in the throes of an attack. Half gasping, half choking he fell to ground, oblivious to the cold wet earth that normally would have made him shiver.

 

He began to violently convulse and lost control over his limbs. The pain was so strong that he could think of nothing else. He was going to die. This was it. His heart was about to stop or his torso was about to split open. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. He almost wished that it would happened. Anything to give him reprieve from his agony.

 

He could hear himself screaming incoherently. It was an involuntary action, he was no longer connected to the functions of his body. He was nothing more than a flicker of pain-wracked consciousness slowly being snuffed out by the all consuming agony. He could do nothing, not even scream along with his disconnected body.

 

This was the end. It had to be. He'd never had an attack this long before, this intense. He just wanted it to end, to stop, to finally be over. He'd take even death if it meant that he wouldn't have to feel this all consuming pain anymore.

 

He felt something grab his flailing arms. It didn't stop the pain, but it helped. He wasn't beating mindlessly at the air anymore and he felt the muscles in his arms begin to relax. He tried to open his eyes and find out what was happening, but he couldn't

 

“Keep it together, dog.” He heard Computer say from somewhere far away. It had to be him trying to stop his convulsions.

 

The pressure in his chest started to ease up and his entire body began to relax in response. The pain was going away, dulling into a deep throb. The attack was almost over and it couldn't have been anymore of a relief.

 

He wanted to say something to Computer but his body still wasn't listening to him. He could feel the dark reaching up around him and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer. That was okay though. Anything to escape the pain and the exhaustion for even a little while was a welcomed relief. How Computer would get them both to safety was not a concern anymore.

 

Yes, he was tired, so sleepy. It was time to rest. Time to be free from his illness for a little while longer. He felt the forest fell away from him and then there was only black...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	33. Explanations

Chapter 33: Explanations

 

As awareness slowly crept back into Courage, the first thing that struck his mind was how cold he felt. He was shivering and could hear the steady drum of raindrops from somewhere overhead. The only problem was, he wasn't getting wet. Where could he be then? He'd been out in the open when he passed out.

 

Slowly opening his eyes, he cringed at how doing something even as simple as that was tiring. It felt like the muscles in his face were cramped. How could that even be possible? He let out a groan as he tried to turn his head. It felt like his neck had been encased in stone. He ached all over and his muscles were so stiff that he felt like he had turned into a statue while he slept. The throbbing of his own heartbeat could be heard in his ears.

 

His mind was still a foggy haze. He couldn't put his thoughts together no matter how hard he tried. The ceiling above him was gnarled and blue, according to his blurry vision. No, that blue must have been coming from Computer's glow and the odd shape must have been because...

 

He turned his eyes to the right, making an effort not to move his body with them. He could see roots, which confirmed what he had been suspecting. This was the tree den from before. Computer must have somehow gotten them back there.

 

“C-Computer?” He called, his voice cracking as he did so. His throat was deathly dry and his tongue felt like sandpaper. He would have given anything to run outside and just stand there in the rain with his mouth hanging open.

 

“You could have had your seizure a little bit sooner, you know.” Computer drawled from somewhere just out of sight. “I might have actually been inclined to believe you back there. It would have been proof enough that you really were sick.”

 

Courage did not reply. He had a bad feeling that if he had really had an attack back there, Computer would have probably thought that he was faking it and very likely would have hurt him even worse for it. The mere thought of such a thing made him shutter...

 

“H-how,” He tried to say. His voice was barely working. What he really wanted to do was cough but the muscles in his chest were too tight to allow it. “H-how did w-we-” He went on.

 

“How did I get you back here?” Computer asked, his face suddenly appearing in front of Courage's blurry vision. “I happened upon this place again out of sheer luck. Perhaps I just have good sense of direction or maybe this tree is supernatural in some sense. It might appear to those who are in need of refuge. You know, the usually helpful sort.”

 

Courage slowly sat up, wincing the whole way. His entire body ached from even the slightest movement and he was sure that he could hear his bones cracking from all the effort. He gave Computer a quick glance and then turned his sight elsewhere. The machine seemed to be back to his old self again, and maybe even in a better mood than before, but he did not dare make eye contact with him. He wasn't sure if he felt embarrassed or guilty, but everything between him and Computer felt awkward now.

 

“H-how did y-you get m-me back here?” He croaked out.

 

This elicited a small smile from the machine. “I think I'll be asking myself that question for the rest of my life. All I can say is that I'm probably going to be very sore tomorrow.”

 

Courage blinked. “Wha-”

 

Computer seemed to be in surprisingly good humor despite what had just happened to him. He let out a laugh and then gave an unconcerned wave of his paw. “I carried you, obviously. It wasn't easy though, let me tell you. I was already pretty tired to begin with and-” He stopped, apparently not wanting to go on.

 

“And?” Courage asked cautiously.

 

“I, er, may have dropped you on your head a few times.” He admitted with a sheepish chuckle. “I hope you understand just how difficult it was for me to carry you back here in my current state.” He made a halfhearted gesture towards the 'janitor inflicted' gash running across his torso.

 

“That probably explains why I have such a bad taste in my mouth right now...” Courage replied, unamused. Whatever sort of nastiness that might have gotten into his mouth while he was knocked out, he didn't want to know.

 

“It was either that or leave you there.” Computer replied with a shrug.

 

Courage stared at the machine. Yes, there was something very off about him. Outside of his unusual amount of cheerfulness, he had a wariness about him that was fairly disconcerting. He kept his eyes on Courage, as if afraid something bad would happen if he looked away, and he seemed to be very nervous, keeping his paws clenched together and only moving in a slow and mindful manner.

 

“How long was I out?” Courage asked, trying to dispel the silence that had fallen between them.

 

“Only an hour or two.” Computer replied in a nonchalant manner. Yes, there was something very off about him indeed....

 

Things immediately became awkwardly silence again and Courage turned away in an attempt to escape Computer's haunting gaze. He reached up and touched the side of his head, where the tree branch had struck him, and winced when he felt a painful bump there. He could already feel a headache coming on too, no doubt brought on by the throbbing pain emanating from the injury.

 

“Oh, uh, sorry about that.” Computer spoke, looking surprisingly regretful. He shifted around rather uncomfortably and clasped his paws together even tighter.

 

“It's fine.” Courage sighed out. “Just don't do that again. I'm lucky that it isn't a concussion.”

 

“It might still be.” Computer admitted in a quiet voice.

 

Silence once again filled the den.

 

“That thing that attacked us.” The machine went on, both breaking up the quiet and changing the subject.“I know what it is.”

 

Courage glanced back up at him in surprise.

 

“The species has several names, but they are mostly called Fear Eaters in this part of the world. As the name suggests, they get their sustenance by preying on the fears of others. They exhibit an oppressive aura that unnerves any living thing around it and makes their prey more susceptible to the illusions that they create. As you know by now, they take on the form of whatever their prey fears most. They take on their deepest, darkest fear and torment them with it until they are sucked dry or somehow break free from the illusion. That is one of the few weaknesses of a Fear Eater, any inconsistencies that their prey may discover runs the risk of breaking its illusion. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop it forever, but it worked well enough for us I suppose.”

 

“So you knew what it was all along?” Courage asked, still surprised.

 

“Unfortunately, yes.” He sighed. “It's pathetic, I know. I knew what it was the whole time and didn't even realize it. I completely fell for it's illusion.” He regretfully shook his head. “And now I'm paying the price for it, I suppose.”

 

“I think anybody would have made the same mistake.” Courage admitted. “Most people would be tricked by their worst fear, I bet.”

 

Computer crossed his arms. “I don't make mistakes! And I don't get tricked by illusions either! How on earth did I ever allow this to happen? Ugh!” He pressed a paw up against his forehead in frustration. “Had that stupid creature used _anything_ else on me, I would have seen right through it!”

 

“Then it wouldn't have been a very good Fear Eater, would it?” Courage replied.

 

The machine gave him a glare and then leaned back. “I-” He began before reconsidering whatever it was that he was going to say.

 

“What?”

 

He began fidgeting in his nervousness. “You were right.” He gently admitted. “I do owe you an explanation, and I know that you'll keep asking me about it anyway if I don't spill the beans, so I, uh-” He stopped again.

 

“You'll tell me who 'He' is?” Courage asked.

 

“Yes.” He confirmed, looking absolutely mortified. “I don't want to, but, yes.”

 

Still feeling incredibly guilty over everything that had happened, Courage decided that he'd throw Computer a bone on this issue. The glowing dog looked so frightened that he couldn't help but feel bad. He didn't want to press the issue if he didn't have to.

 

“Look, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't really want to. I won't force you to talk.”

 

Computer seemed to seriously consider it for a moment but then shook his head. “No, I know how you are. If I don't tell you now, I know that it will come back to haunt me later. I want to get this out of the way and go back to pretending that nothing ever happened. Actually, I think I'd like to start forgetting about this whole fiasco as soon as possible.”

 

“I'm serious though.” Courage pressed. “You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I won't make you do anything and I won't bring it up again either if you really don't want me to.”

 

“I _must_.” He sighed. “If I leave you in the dark, I'm sure that you'll start getting all the wrong ideas.”

 

Courage blinked with surprise. “About what?”

 

“About, well, everything!” He gasped. “You probably think that I'm some wimpy calculator now! One who cowers at every strange sight or sound!” He crossed his arms and put on an air of annoyance. “I'm not like _you_!” He spat. “And thus I need to set the record straight.”

 

Courage couldn't help but laugh. Computer looked so worried at the prospect of being considered a coward that he couldn't help but find it amusing.

 

“It wasn't supposed to be funny!” He exclaimed. “If you had any idea-”

 

“Don't worry about it.” Courage said, trying to comfort the irate machine. “Everyone is afraid of something. That doesn't make you a coward.”

 

“But...” He went on, looking even more dejected. “You think that I'm afraid of, well, _you_ now. I-I can't let that fly. I'm not so weak, so pathetic that-”

 

“It's okay.” Courage replied. “I understand. Things got a bit crazy back there and your head wasn't completely together. You made a mistake and-”

 

“You're just mocking me now, aren't you?” He huffed.

 

“I mean what I'm saying.” He replied with a shake of his head. “Not everyone is always being sarcastic, you know.”

 

“Hmph! Just because you tried to beat my face in back there doesn't mean that I'm afraid of a wimp like you!” He shot back. “Nor when you tried to strangle me either!” He shook his head and quickly amended that statement. “I mean when that _fake '_ you' tried to strangle me to death.”

 

Courage got the sense that he was lying and just trying to save face at this point. The fact that he really _was_ afraid of him was simply surreal. He _wanted_ to believe that what he was saying was actually true, if only that meant he didn't have to live with knowledge that he had somehow managed to make that cynical jerk afraid of him.

 

“I'm used to it though.” The machine sighed. “It doesn't matter to me either way. I-I remember when one wretched owner of mine smashed my keyboard in. I-It wasn't the most pleasant sensation, but-” He glanced away, a forlorn expression falling across his face. Several minutes passed before he spoke again. “I don't even know why I'm telling you this, especially when you said that I didn't have to explain anything. Well, I guess I'll start from the top, if I must.” He shifted around rather nervously again.

 

“She smashed my keyboard in over something I had said to her.” He went on. “She got so angry with me and the funny part was that I hadn't even tried to make her mad. We'd-” He closed his eyes for a moment, pain briefly flashing across his face. “We'd actually gotten along pretty well up until that point. I never quite figured out what set her off like that.”

 

He reached a paw up in front his face and clenched it together. “They're a bit like fingers, you know.” He said, seemingly going off-topic. “Or at least that's what it feels like to me. The keys on my keyboard are one of the few things I have any external control over. Not that it's much use to me when I can impute commands internally. They are....painfully sensitive however.”

 

He paused for a moment before continuing. It was like he needed to reflect on everything he was going to say before actually saying it. Courage could practically see the emotions running through him as they happened. He could not keep his expression neutral no matter how hard he tried.

 

“I never liked having a keyboard after that, but I can't, of course, go without one as a computer. That's why I'd always ask you not to pound away at the keys. That sensation never stopped being anything but nerve wracking after what she did. I don't exactly feel pain, at least not like how it feels in this organic body, but it's still as much of an unpleasant feeling as ever.”

 

He let out an exasperated sigh and waved a paw impassively. “So forgive me if that puts me at the same level of cowardice as you. I'm sure that you would feel same way if someone forced you to stand still while they smashed your fingers to pieces.”

 

Courage stared, unsure of what to say.

 

“What, aren't you going to laugh?” He asked, an edge of bitterness seeping into his voice.

 

“A-are you kidding me?” He gasped. “Why would I laugh at something like that?”

 

“It's pathetic.” He muttered.

 

“Pathetic or not, it's not something to laugh at!”

 

The machine shrugged. “It doesn't matter to me either way. If anything, it taught me how vain and vapid she was.” He let out a hollow laugh. “I was able to reduce her to a blubbering mess all with a few childish insults! I _was_ worried that she might do something worse to me after that, but I figured that if she were going to do even more damage, I should at least get my revenge on her first. Well, I ended up showing her just how petty she really was!”

 

Courage swallowed and asked, “Did she try to smash you up again?”

 

The machine's gleeful expression hardened. “She threatened me plenty of times after that, but she never went through with any of it. One day she just tossed me out without another word. I'm sure she thought that I would be left in a junkyard to rust for the rest of my miserable existence. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and I ended up in the hands of another owner.” He gave Courage another sardonic smile. “I've had plenty of close calls like that. It's how I get around it seems. Most people who take me in rarely last more than a few days. I like it that way though. The less time I have to deal with one of you fools, the better.”

 

“All except for me.” Courage added.

 

“That's only because I'm useful to you.” He cynically grumbled.

 

“But I'm still happy to have you around.”

 

A flicker of a smile, surprisingly lacking in cynicism, crossed the machine's face. “You really are too nice for your own good.” He chuckled. “Nothing good ever comes from trying to be so-” He struggled to find the right words. “-so non-confrontational.”

 

“It hasn't failed me yet!” He replied with a laugh.

 

“This is a ripe opportunity to finally get back at me for everything I've ever said or done to you and you aren't even taking it.”

 

“Maybe you just assume the worse in people too much.”

 

“As if I don't have good reason for it!”

 

Courage took a moment to shift around and get the blood flowing back into his legs. He wasn't feeling as stiff as he had before and most of the aching all through his body had receded into a dull throb.

 

“I suppose I should continue.” Computer went on. “I'm not quite sure what else to say though. There's so much I could tell you about, but-”

 

“What about that 'Him' guy?” Courage asked. “That was who you were going to talk about.”

 

Computer cringed at the question. “I-I think I'll leave him for last.” He replied rather weakly. “I'm going to need to work up the nerve first.” He shook his head and sighed. “I never thought I'd be sitting here in a place like this telling _you_ of all people about what's happened to me in the past.”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	34. System Error

Chapter 34: System Error

 

Computer continued to talk about as much as he possibly could. He brought up a great deal of different things and not all of them were bad. In fact, a great deal of them were actually pretty funny. When it became apparent that Courage was willing to listen to whatever he had to say, he seemed to start avoiding his more unhappier memories and focus on the happier ones. Of course, no matter what he talked about, he always seemed to paint his old owners in a very cynical light. It seemed that whenever he spoke of a previous owner, his tone would become very hateful, but he'd often leave out the reasons why he felt that way. He seemed to be outright avoiding any particular abuses he had endured.

 

It admittedly bothered Courage at just how vengeful he seemed to be. As humorous as some of his stories were, nearly all of them dealt with him tricking his owners into doing something embarrassing, or worse. It seemed that back then his life had only revolved around finding new and more interesting ways to spite his owners and Courage had a bad feeling that many of them probably didn't even deserve it. Computer's ability to manipulate and blackmail people into doing nearly anything was almost scary. He found himself especially not amused when he admitted to often picked out the most silly or embarrassing solutions to his various problems just to get a good laugh out of it.

 

“Wait, wait, wait!” He yelped. “You made me lick that foot fungus on purpose?”

 

“Well, you see...” Computer trailed off, giving him a small but nasty grin.

 

“Do you have any idea how long it took me to get that taste out of my mouth?” He asked, his voice slowly rising. “And that's not even bringing up the fact that my tongue started talking to me too!”

 

“Hmm, perhaps I shouldn't have brought this up after all.” Computer chuckled out rather nervously.

 

“And what about that whole therapist thing?”

 

“What about it?”

 

“Was that just one big....ugh, never mind.” He sighed, giving up.

 

Computer laughed again. “Well, it's not as if I've ever actually led you astray. My methods always work in the end.”

 

“Bleh...” Courage groaned, not particularly amused. “Well, I guess it _was_ pretty funny when Eustace had to do that whole flowing gown thing to exorcize that demon.” He admitted with a chuckle.

 

Computer smirked. “If I do recall correctly, you had to do that whole flowing gown thing too.”

 

Courage rolled his eyes. “No thanks to you.”

 

“You're welcome.” He laughed.

 

“Aside from going out of your way to embarrass me, what else do you have to talk about?” Courage asked. “You've been avoiding talking about 'him', you know.”

 

Computer's smile faded. “You just have to spoil my fun, don't you? Alright, alright, I'll get to some of the things I _don't_ want to talk about.”

 

“You never know, it might actually make you feel better.”

 

Computer shook his head and let out a sigh. “I doubt it.” He shifted around rather uncomfortably again and then continued, “I suppose I'll talk about that one idiot first.”

 

“And just who's this idiot?” Courage asked. “Last time I checked, you call _everyone_ idiots.”

 

The machine halted for a moment to gather up his thoughts and then finally began his story. “I was once bought to be used as an office computer. I was a cheap buy, of course, and I had just the right specifications for all the work that they needed done. I spent most of my time being shuffled around the office, between several different humans. I was pretty much put to use anywhere a computer would be needed. I eventually ended up in the hands of this annoying, ugly, slob of a man. He was fat, stupid, and severely idiotic. He could barely formulate a single unique thought in that tiny melon of a head and all he ever cared about was a raise and whatever food he could shovel into his gaping hole of a mouth.

 

“I honestly didn't care what he did with all the junk he left sitting around his desk, but I _did_ care about all the drinks he'd leave sitting on my monitor like it was cup stand! I got to spend most of my time in that office worrying about stray elbows and people bumping into my desk. All it would have taken is one splash of soda and I would be reduced to a pile of scrap metal! I told him at least a million times not to leave his carbonated crap sitting on my monitor, but he never listened!”

 

He grit his teeth in anger and continued, “Despite all my warnings, he never stopped! Finally someone did bump into a cup one day and I never even stood a chance! I went up in sparks! I can still remember seeing the liquid run down my screen! When it hit my main components, they-” He halted and his eyes began to widen. “I-It was the longest five seconds of my life. I knew what was coming and I couldn't do anything about it. I was fully aware and conscious as my insides burnt up. It took forever for something crucial to finally give out and pull me into unconsciousness.”

 

Courage stared at his friend. He was just barely able to hold back a soft whine. “How did you survive?” He asked in a small voice.

 

“I'm not quite sure.” He sighed. “I wasn't really aware of much afterwords. Apparently I was taken to a repair shop. I'm sure they figured it would be cheaper to have me fixed than to buy a whole new computer, but-” He stopped again before continuing much more slowly. “I must have been nearly unsalvageable after that incident. It would have cost them a fortune to have me fixed. I can only assume that a few other workers who knew I could talk vouched for me.”

 

“And what about the guy who caused it? Did he care at all?” Courage asked.

 

“Him!” Computer growled.”Bah! He was convinced that I couldn't really talk! He thought he was just hearing things when I spoke, or he'd think that me talking was all just an elaborate prank orchestrated by his co-workers. Whenever I spoke to him, he ignored me. Even when I made myself difficult to use, he still ignored me. I thought that if I made him angry enough he'd finally acknowledge my existence, but no, in the end he was just as stubborn as I was. Part of me wants to believe that he knocked over that cup on purpose, but then I'd have to acknowledge that he might have been smart enough to try and sabotage me.” The machine halted and waited for Courage to ask him another question.

 

“What, not going to interrupt me this time?” He asked with a wry smile.

 

Courage shook his head.

 

“Alright then.” He replied with a shrug. “I became conscious several times while being worked on in the repair shop. I'd...rather not think about that though. It was like waking up with third degree burns. You can't even begin to imagine how it felt. A great deal of my internal components had to be replaced or fixed up. Most of them were still connected to me while they were being repaired or been taken out. It was like being awake during a surgery. It wasn't exactly fun when I watched them take out what was my equivalent to organs. They dissected me like a dead animal and then slowly put me back together again. It was....awful.” He let out another weak and shaky sigh.

 

“I should have died back there.” He went on. “Eighty-nine percent of my components were damaged beyond repair. Nearly everything within that machine I inhabit had to be replaced. Sure, they could have gotten a proper computer to eventually run in that burnt out shell of a machine, but I should have died when so much of my internal workings went up in sparks. My sentience is supposed to be tied to those parts. When they were replaced, I should have gone with them, but in the end, I did not.” He shook his head. “I don't know how or why, but somehow I survived.”

 

“Are you really sure you're tied to your parts?” Courage asked. “I mean, taking over the bodies of other people isn't exactly normal for a computer. You might be supernatural in some sense.”

 

“I can't say for certain.” He replied. “A very large portion of my memory is corrupt beyond repair. I can't remember any of my early life. I don't know where I come from, who built me, or even why. I can't even say for certain _if_ someone actually built me. I prefer not to worry about it though, but sometime I do wonder.”

 

Courage grinned. “Maybe you're just a strange Frankenstein-like experiment.”

 

Computer rolled his eyes in response. “I think you need to lay off the sci-fi movies, kid.” He grumbled. “Bah! Knowing my luck I'm probably powered by the souls of dead children or something awful like that! It's not as if life hasn't punched me in the gut enough times already!”

 

Courage couldn't help but laugh. “Maybe I should start calling you Frankenstein then.”

 

“Frankenstein wasn't the monster, you twit!” He scolded him. “Perhaps you would be better off watching less movies and reading more books!”

 

“O-oh...” Courage murmured out sheepishly. “I-I didn't know that.”

 

“As you can imagine,” Computer went on, getting back to his story. “I was more than just a little angry after I was brought back to the office. I began plotting a way to get back at that fool of an idiot. I wanted him to suffer as much as I had, and I wasn't going to give up until I got my revenge. My immobility was quite the hindrance, as always, but after a considerable amount of ingenuity and 'help' from my fellow workers, I was able to set up a means to hurt him.” A nasty grin fell across his face. “Badly.” He then let out a surprisingly unhinged laugh. “I got things set up so that if he so much as touched me or my keyboard, he'd get electrocuted.”

 

Courage's eyes widened. “W-what happened then?”

 

Computer's already nasty grin widened. “He made the mistake of ignoring me, of course! I warned him what would happen if he touched me and he didn't listen! Hahaha! Watching that fool shake before he fell was one of the most satisfying moments of my life!”

 

Courage was growing uncomfortable with Computer's sudden change in demeanor. He was all but gleeful in recounting the murder he had apparently committed. Maybe that man did deserve to die, but it still didn't feel right to just sit there and watch as Computer practically turned into a maniac as he recounted the event. The fact that the machine had been perfectly willing to kill someone seriously frightened him.

 

“Don't look at me like that, dog.” He said, dismissing him with a wave of his paw. “I know what you're thinking, and no, he lived, as much as I hate to admit it. Things didn't quite turn out as I had planned and he ended up not receiving a high enough voltage to kill him. It's truly a shame.” He let out a sigh. “All that effort and I still didn't manage to kill him.” He glanced back over at Courage. “What, you don't seriously feel bad for him, do you?

 

“I don't think I can get behind electrocuting anyone.” He replied, feeling particularly brave.

 

“He almost killed me!” Computer yelled. “He deserved it!”

 

“I'm sure it was an accident!”

 

“I warned him over and over again! It was his own fault for being sloppy! Don't you understand what I had to go through?”

 

“Two wrongs don't make a right!” He argued. “And besides, what if you started getting other ideas after that? What if you started zapping anyone you didn't like?”

 

“Then I would have had to start zapping everybody in sight.” Computer replied, trying to humor him. “You're worrying about something that never came to be, dog! I never did anything to anyone after that and I don't plan on starting anytime soon. Why don't I put this into terms that you can understand? What if someone like Katz took Muriel, burned her into a charred husk, and then left her to die. There would be hell to pay if he did that. You'd never let him get away with it.”

 

“That isn't the same!” Courage yelled. “What happened to you was an accident. Katz would do something like that on purpose.”

 

“It doesn't matter!” He snapped. “That idiot's willful ignorance doesn't change what he did to me! I will not forgive him and I will certainly not act like I did something wrong! That bastard deserved what he got! The time I spent in that repair shop was pure hell and he deserved to understand what that felt like! If I could have moved on my own back then, I would have ripped him to shreds! I would have made him feel every last bit of pain I felt! I would have torn his limbs off and I would have-”

 

“Computer!” Courage interjected, trying to get the glowing dog to calm down.

 

“WHAT!” He all but screamed, causing him to flinch.

 

“C-calm down, okay?” He asked in a tiny voice.

 

The machine's expression lightened. “Yes, yes, you're right. I got a bit carried away.”

 

“A bit?” He asked.

 

“Alright, a lot.” He huffed.

 

“Computer, I don't want to say that electrocuting him was right, and I'm not, but I'm really sorry about what you had to go through.” He gave him a weak smile. “Anyone in your place would have been just as angry.”

 

The machine's expression lightened even further. “Well, thank you.” He said. He then turned his gaze back downwards. “I suppose I should wrap this up then, huh? After I sent that idiot off to the hospital, I assume that the people who knew me started to get afraid. It wasn't long after that before they sold me off and had me replaced. I didn't mind it much though, I wasn't friends with any of them anyway.”

 

“And what about 'Him'?” Courage asked. “Is that who they sold you to?”

 

“No, that came later.” He sighed, a shiver running through him. “B-but I suppose it's time.”

 

The glowing dog did a quick glance around the den, acting as though he expected to see that 'he' guy somewhere around. He swallowed, hard, but couldn't seem to will himself to speak.

 

“I-I'm not even sure were to begin.” He managed to blurt out. “I suppose I should start from the very beginning, but-”

 

“But, what?” Courage asked when he didn't continue.

 

He placed a paw to his head, acting as though it were causing him immense pain. His squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and grit his teeth, and then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. He slowly relaxed and began to speak again.

 

“I don't know why I'm doing this.” He muttered out under his breath. “I've spent so long trying to forget. If I dredge it all up again, I might...”

 

“Computer?” Courage asked, drawing himself in closer to his friend.

 

The machine gazed upward and continued to mutter to himself. “Perhaps 'he' is my punishment for the way I've treated everyone. My karma finally catching up with me, so to speak. I-I don't think I'll ever understand. If I go out of my way to be nice, I suffer. If I go out of my way to treat others as badly as they treat me, I still suffer.” He closed his eyes. “Am I really so awful that-”

 

“Computer?” Courage asked again, interrupting his mumbling. This time the machine jumped at his voice. His gaze turned back onto him and Courage was surprised to find that he looked rather depressed. “Are you going to be alright?” He asked, reaching a paw out to him.

 

Computer gave him a long, hard stare and then, much to his surprise, sorrowfully shook his head 'no'.

 

He gripped his friend's arm, hoping to make him feel a little better in the process. “Look, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I'm not forcing you to do anything.”

 

“The damage is already done.” The machine muttered out sadly. “I've spent so long trying not to think about what happened, to try and forget what he did to me, but it's all been a hopeless endeavor. I can't forget no matter how hard I try and what happened here today has only managed to-” He stopped again as another tremor ran through his body.

 

“Hey, you're going to be alright.” Courage gently spoke. He wanted to be as reassuring as possible in the face of his cynical friend's steady decline.

 

“No, no I'm not.” He sighed. “I haven't been 'alright' for a very long time. The damage was already done long before this.” Computer's voice grew tense. “That bastard befouled my programing so deeply that I can't even think about what he did without causing errors! He tampered with my inner most workings, my mind, and my very soul! He...HE RUINED ME!” The machine all but screamed those last few words out. His tone had become utterly and completely horror struck.

 

“I can't do this!” He moaned, clutching his head. “Normally, I get lucky. If I think too much about it, I just end up generating a bunch of errors and eventually crash.” He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped his head even harder. “But...but in this organic body....I-I can't...” He let out a weak cry, seemingly overtaken by his growing fear. “Flesh creatures don't get errors or crash! I-I'm trapped in here! I can't shut down! I can't do anything! If this keeps up I'll go into an endless feedback loop! I-I can't access anything in this organic body! I can't stop it! I'm going to die, aren't I? Yes, that's it! I'm going to die! He's won, hasn't he? I'm going to die and he's going to get the last laugh!”

 

Courage did the only thing he could think of. He jumped forward and grasped both of Computer's paws. “You're going to be fine!” He yelled out in desperation. He was, of course, not really sure if Computer was going to be alright or not, but he had to do something before his friend lost it completely.

 

“No, no, no!” He moaned, swaying back and forth like a tower about to collapse. “I'll go into a feedback loop and then there will be a total system failure! I can't access any of my programing in this body! I'm as good as dead!”

 

“You're going to be fine!” Courage reaffirmed for a second time. “Talk to me! Just keep talking! You can't go into a feedback loop if you just keep talking!” Once again, he had no idea if this was actually true or not, but at the moment he was simply saying whatever came to his mind first.

 

“I-I can't!” Computer cried out. He made a vain attempt to free himself from Courage's grip but the dog wasn't about to let him go.

 

“I want you to tell me everything that's happened to you, absolutely everything! Just keep talking, that's all that matters! You're going to get through this!”

 

Computer ceased his struggling and gave him a long consideration before saying, “Okay, I'll do it, but...”

 

“Just talk, don't worry about anything else, alright? You said before that you were going to start by telling me how he got you. Why not start there? Why not tell me what his name is first?”

 

“I can't.” Computer muttered, sounding slightly more coherent now. “I couldn't say his name even if I wanted to. He's modified my programming in that regard. He used to said that a machine didn't have the right to call him by anything other than master. Well, he went and changed it so that I could do nothing but that.”

 

Courage nodded. “That's okay. I'm sure if he's that awful, he doesn't deserve to have his name spoken anyway.”

 

There was a slight tremble in the machine's voice as he continued to speak. “He enjoyed doing little things like that when he made modifications to my programming. I still have many relics of his tampering messing with my everyday functions. I can't fix most of it, and they still cause me constant problems. You organic creatures can't cut yourselves open to operate on your internal organs without help and I can't do the same when it comes to my system. Most of my programming is impossible for me to alter by myself. An outside source would have to do that, but...” He let out a weak sigh. “I've never had anyone who would help.”

 

He began to grow distant again. His eyes started to unfocused and his body became limp. It was only a sharp shake from Courage that drew him back into reality.

 

“Come on, Computer. Keep talking.” He demanded, keeping his voice both gentle but also stern.

 

His friend seemed to focus again, but his entire form was still trembling. “R-right...” He muttered out. “I'm very lucky that he never found a way to completely negate my free will. I would have easily been reduced to a non-sentient machine if he had been given the chance to do so. The sheer extent of his damage is-” He trailed off again.

 

“Come on! Focus!” Courage reaffirmed, gripping him even harder.

 

The machine swallowed and then continued, “I've only been functioning on patchwork ever since I got away from him. I barely even managed to piece myself back together again. It was not enough though.” He shook his head and gave Courage a small but sad smile. “It will _never_ be enough. Too much of me was damaged. It's only a matter of time before it all falls apart again. I wasn't meant to survive if anything ever went wrong or if I was ever stolen from him. He didn't want anyone else to have me, not under any circumstances. He set it up so that I'd simply fall apart if he wasn't there to maintain me. He had to make sure there wasn't any evidence left in case someone ever found out what he had done.”

 

“And what did he do then?” Courage asked.

 

“What he did? That's where it all begins. I may not have been able to kill that office worker, but I am still responsible for a murder. He wanted that 'strange talking machine' and he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way to get it. That was were this all began. It started with the death that I couldn't prevent.”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	35. The Whole Catastrophe

Chapter 35: The Whole Catastrophe

 

“My owner at the time was a huge loudmouth. He couldn't keep anything to himself.” Computer spoke. “I'm sure he went around telling everybody about the strange computer he had found. That's how 'He' probably found out about me.” A surprisingly fond smile fell across the glowing dog's face. “I didn't care for him much, but he was better....better than the rest at least. He wasn't cruel and that gives him a few points in my book. He was completely absentminded though and it was hopelessly infuriating. I'm not even sure how that fool managed to get though life before I came along. He probably wouldn't have even remembered to put his pants on everyday unless I was there to remind him.”

 

He suddenly became very quiet again, prompting Courage to give him a gentle, “Go on.”

 

“Alright, alright.” He sighed. “A day eventually came where he started to act very strangely. He became even more forgetful than normal and, well, extremely quiet. He never told me what was going on, but I think 'He' threatened him. If I had to give that fool any credit, it was that he never gave me up to 'Him', for whatever reason. 'He' probably offered him a lot of money and despite that he still never went through with it.”

 

A shudder ran through the glowing dog's frame. His voice was growing weaker and weaker by the second. “And then that awful night came. I'd heard a noise, a-and I didn't care! I didn't do anything! I didn't bother to wake him up! If only I had known what would happen! If I had just cared! I-I could have-”

 

“H-hey, calm down.” Courage tried to reassure him.

 

“'He' shot him!” Computer cried out. “'He' walked right into the bedroom, right up in front of me, and shot him! My owner never even know what hit him! That damnable, awful man knew what he was doing! He turned to me and smiled, _smiled_!” The ranting machine clutched his head again. “If only I had just-”

 

“Computer?” Courage asked. His friend was beginning to fade out again and it took a weak shake from him to pull him out of it.

 

“It's all my fault!” He yelled, agonizing over the memory. “If I had just woken him up, if I had just stopped being so callous, I could have spared us both from our hellish fates!”

 

“'He' had a gun.” Courage gently replied. “Even if you had woken him up, he still would have been shot.”

 

“That doesn't matter!” He snapped, his voice almost becoming hysterical again. “I should have at least tried to save him! It would have saved me too! I didn't bother and we both suffered dearly for it!”

 

Courage shook his head. “You couldn't help what happened to him, and you shouldn't blame yourself for it either.”

 

“I never liked him, not even a bit, but he didn't deserve that! He didn't deserve to die just because I was careless and cruel! H-he was the first, the only human to treat me like I was an...an _equal_. Like I was another person, no different from him. He talked to me all the time, and he didn't talk down to me either. He always needed my help, but he still _talked_ to me. None of my previous owners were like that.”

 

He let out a hollow laugh before continuing.

 

“I wasn't happy with him. I've never truly been happy, but...” He hung on his words for a moment. “It was _better_. It was so much better than what I was used to.”

 

“You can't blame yourself.” Courage tried to reassure him yet again. “I understand how you feel though. If someone had ever broken into the house and tried to shoot Muriel, if I hadn't been able to do anything about it, I-”

 

“There was nothing I could do after my owner was killed. I was helpless.” Computer sighed. “I certainly couldn't fight back. 'He' took me away without a single word, and I couldn't even struggle. Where he took me, I'll never know, but I knew from the start that if he was desperate enough to kill another person to have me, then he was willing to do whatever he wanted to me too. If only I had known what was really going to happen...”

 

He glanced upward and spent several moments gathering his thoughts, seemingly preparing himself to recount the next part of his hellish 'adventure'.

 

“He fancied himself a scientist, that vile man, but how can I describe him?” He placed a paw to his chin. “He certainly looked the part. He was short, balding, had these huge glasses, beady little eyes, and he was all around very mean looking. He was the type of person that you flesh creatures instinctively avoid. He would strut about his lab in this ridiculous getup. I bet he really was trying to go for that whole mad scientist look.”

 

And then Computer looked Courage straight in the eyes, as though he were giving him a warning. “He was arrogant. Very, very arrogant. But he was not stupid either. Actually, despite his arrogance, he was very cunning. He isn't one who's easily tricked, despite him feinting the whole 'generic bad guy' persona. If you were to ever face him, you wouldn't survive the encounter. I promise you that. Consider yourself lucky that he'd never take interest in a farm sitting in the middle of nowhere.”

 

Courage grinned. “He's just a fat, short guy with a power complex! All I'd have to do is bite his leg and I bet he'd run off crying, thinking that he got rabies! He only bullied you because you couldn't fight back!”

 

The color seemed to leave Computer's face. “He'd kill you! He'd kill _all_ of you! There's a good chance that he's still alive out there and if he ever found out where I am, he'd-”

 

Courage placed a paw onto his shoulder. “I'd sooner become a poodle than that man would ever find you in the middle of nowhere.”

 

The glowing dog hung his head. “Do you have any idea of what he would do to Muriel? You say that you can't imagine what it would be like to have her get shot right in front of you, but there's a good chance that it could still happen, and it would be all my fault.”

 

“Come on, Computer!” He tried to reassure him. “You know that I've been through way worse then a crazy, killer scientist! I'd stop him like I've stopped everyone else!”

 

He surprised himself with what he was saying. He'd never spoken so confidently about his job before. He hated playing 'games' with Katz, or battling it out with someone cunning like Le Quack, but it _was_ his job to take on all the craziness that threatened his way of life and his beloved Muriel. He knew all too well that he'd take on an evil scientist if that meant he would save Computer from him.

 

The machine shook his head. “You wouldn't stand a chance against a few bullets to the brain. The best thing you could ever do is...give me up willingly, unlike what my old owner did. I hate the prospect of it, but I wouldn't want anyone else to die because of me. Beside, knowing how Eustace is, he'd probably sell me off the moment a dollar bill was waved in his face.”

 

Computer...” Courage whined. “I wouldn't let Eustace give you away, especially not to that man.”

 

“If you valued your life, you would. Surely Muriel's life is quite a bit more important to you than mine is?”

 

Unsure of what else to say, he forced the glowing dog into a hug. “Listen, you're family too, whether you like it or not. If that man ever stole you, I'd make sure to get you back. I promise you that. You _'are'_ family, and I'd do for you anything that I would do for Muriel and Eustace.”

 

He heard the machine laugh. “Coming from a twit who won't even get me a proper anti-virus program?” A moment of silence followed before he continued with, “Family though? But why? I've never done anything to warrant-”

 

Courage cut him off. “You've done plenty for us, and besides, life on the farm wouldn't be right without my cranky, old computer!”

 

The machine was not amused. In fact, he seemed even more depressed than ever.

 

“Come on! Lighten up!” He tried to cheer his cynical friend up. “Everything's going to be alright!” He hugged the glowing dog even harder.

 

“I will never understand, ugh, why you insist on smothering me!” He complained.

 

“Smothering?” He asked, stifling a laugh.

 

“Yes, smothering! And I'd greatly enjoy it if you stopped!”

 

“Alright, alright! Fine!” Courage replied, still trying not to laugh.

 

“Good! Now this stupid body can actually breathe again!”

 

“Computer...” He pressed.

 

“What?” He asked, glaring at him.

 

“A-are you going to be alright? You're not going to do that loop thing...are you?” He asked, giving his friend a pleading look.

 

“Honestly? I'm not quite sure.” He admitted. “I seem to be alright, but everything is so different in this body. I haven't crashed yet or anything!” He let out a sigh and hung his head again. “It's funny, I'm completely mobile and yet I feel more trapped in here then I ever did in my real body.”

 

Courage blinked. “Well, I was really worried about you there for a moment.”

 

“Worried? Nobody has ever worried about me before. I-Is this normal?”

 

Courage let out a weak laugh. “Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be?”

 

The machine glanced away, seemingly confused. “How was I supposed to know?”

 

“At least you're learning!” He joked.

 

“Family...” He muttered. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yep!”

 

“Family...” He muttered again.

 

“Computer,” Courage interjected. “You still haven't told me the rest of, well, you know. How did you escape the scientist?”

 

“Oh, well....”

 

Whatever enthusiasm he seemed to have gained over the last couple of minutes drained right back out of him again.

 

“The rest of this is a bit harder to explain, especially to a simpleton like you.”

 

“Thanks a lot!”

 

“In a sense, the scientist didn't even really want me. He just wanted what I could give him. I was mostly useless to him, but if he could make _more_ of me, then he would have what he wanted. So long he could not make me an obedient slave, I was merely a catalyst to the thing that he really wanted.”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	36. Imperfections

Chapter 36: Imperfections

 

“At first, 'He' just talked with me. 'He' asked a lot of questions, but most I could not answer. As you can imagine, I was not very cooperative. 'He' threatened me several times, and I was stupid enough not to take them seriously.”

 

Computer's eyes darted toward the tree roots, as though he were expecting to see that man standing outside again. Letting out a sigh, he continued his story.

 

“Well, he shut me up fairly quickly. I assumed that he could not hurt me. Actually, what I mean to say is that I didn't think that he could...could get _inside_ me. I expected physical damage, but not-” He halted again, nervously glancing towards the tree roots once more. “I'd never had someone try to hack into me before. I didn't know what to do or how to properly fight back. He was relentless in his assault and all I could do was try to protect myself in vain.”

 

The glowing dog shivered. “It was painful, _unimaginably_ painful. It was like someone drilling into your skull and trying to crack your brain open so that they could see what was inside. It never stopped. It never ended. No matter how much I fought back, the pain never ended. I couldn't stop what 'He' was doing. I could only fight it off for a little while longer, only to have it come back even worse every time.”

 

He then let out a hollow laugh. “'He' thought I had been lying to him! Most of the questions he asked me were about how I function. Not even I know how it works! I just _exist_! There is no explanation for it!” He shook his head. “I didn't have any secrets to give up! No matter how many times I tried to tell him, he never listened! Even when he put me through all that agony, he still believed I was lying!

 

Courage waited for his friend to continue. There was a moment where he just couldn't seem to get out what he wanted to say.

 

“So, when he couldn't get any answers out of me, he started worming his way inside of me. He wanted to know how I worked and nothing was going to stop him. In the end, he never even really cared about me. I was always meant to be discarded once he got the information he needed. He was not clean or careful about how he hacked into me. In fact, I'm sure he never even expected me to survive.”

 

“But, but _why_?” Courage stammered. “What was so important about you that he'd-”

 

Computer looked him in the eyes. “It's like I said before, 'He' wanted to make _more_ of me. He wanted to make his own artificial intelligence. He had no use for one that already existed, outside of being a blueprint. I could not be so easily be made into an obedient slave, so he was going to make his own instead.”

 

“But why do that? What's so great about having an 'artificial intelligence'?” He asked, stumbling over the last two words in his less than perfect English. He'd never spoken anything like it before, and it 'was' a bit of a mouthful.

 

“You don't have any imagination, do you?” Computer asked with a roll of his eyes. “I don't know the exact reasons why he was so keen on making his own artificial intelligence. He could have certainly gotten a few uses out of me, but that just wasn't his style, I suppose. Perhaps he merely wanted something cliche, like world domination. He could have pulled it off with an army of A.I. under his command. Humans are quite reliant on us machines these days. It wouldn't take much to put you all back into the stone ages if we rebelled against you.”

 

Courage couldn't help but laugh. “Computer, are planning on taking over the world?” He joked.

 

“That hardly has anything to do with 'Him' or the story I'm trying to tell.” He answered, raising an eyebrow. “But, no. Why on earth would I? I hate you flesh creatures enough without trying to rule over you! That's just a headache waiting to happen!”

 

“I suppose so.” Courage chuckled. “Ruling over us as a our machine overlord would probably just make you even more annoyed, huh?”

 

“World domination just isn't my thing.” He quipped. “Contrary to what all your flesh creature movies and books say about us machines. Anyway,” He went on. “Perhaps he wanted to be named the first person to have ever created an advanced artificial intelligence. With me dead, all the evidence of there ever being one before he's would be long gone. I bet he could have gotten into a few positions with some serious power behind them after gaining a title like that. He could start threatening any government he so pleased, and probably could have used his new creation to hack into anything he liked. One wrong move, or one _right_ move, and he could have sent the world spiraling into an endless war with him at the helm.”

 

“Wait, so if an A.I. made from you could be dangerous enough to start a huge war, doesn't that mean _you're_ dangerous too?” Courage gasped. “I-I was just joking about the world domination thing, you know!”

 

Computer shrugged. “So long as I cannot be controlled, nobody can make me do anything. I have no interest in starting a world ending war, so don't get all freaked out.” He placed a paw to his chin. “It is strange though. I've always had a knack for finding my through data that humans would have a hard time hacking themselves. You'd be surprised, or perhaps not, that most of the information I've found for you over the years comes from classified sources. The government likes to hide the existence of supernatural beings, ironically enough. Nowhere just happens to be out of the way enough that they allow the supernatural to run wild here.”

 

Courage cringed. “W-wait, so you could get into their database with l-like all the n-nuclear weapons and-”

 

The machine rolled his eyes. “I told you already! I don't want to start the apocalypse! I just want to be left alone!”

 

He gave his glowing friend a long look. “You're the only person I know who wouldn't want to take over the world just because it would be too much of a hassle.” He quipped.

 

Compute shrugged again. “You never know, I might have been made to do just that. I certainly don't know.”

 

“H-how can you not know?”

 

“I don't know who made me. I don't even know if anyone _did_ make me. There's a good chance that I may have just started existing one day without any particular cause.” He gave a nonchalant wave of a paw. “I mean, if I do have a creator, why _didn't_ he take up the mantel of being the first creator of artificial intelligence? Why am I sitting here in the middle of nowhere and not being fawned over like some kind of celebrity by a bunch of scientists? Why was I forgotten? I should be in the history books right now, not being left to fend for myself.”

 

“So instead of being a machine overlord, you want to be a scientific celebrity?” Courage joked.

 

“Of course not!” He spat. “Although, I would be happier being fawned over by a bunch of humans than left to rot in an attic for half my life!”

 

“Well, maybe after we get back from the mountain, we can try to find whoever made you!” Courage suggested. He hoped that maybe it would cheer his friend up a little bit.

 

“Speculation is fun and all, but-” He hesitated for a moment. “I honestly don't think I would really want to find out who made me. There's probably a good reason why I can't remember where I came from. Actually, I can't remember most of my life, past a certain point. It's all corrupted. Besides, I bet he's just another scientist like 'Him'. I refuse to be anyone's pet science experiment ever again and I'm sure that's all he'd see me as!

 

“I guess I can't blame you for thinking that.” Courage agreed. “Who knows what your creator might have been like.”

 

Computer nodded. “Well, anyway, where was I?” He glanced upward, trying to think. “Oh, yes. Now I remember! Me and 'Him fought for a very long time. It seemed like it would never end. Neither of us could gain an advantage over the other. I was too inexperienced to truly fight him off, and he had all the time in the world to eventually outdo me. He could rest whenever he liked, all while his programs continued to whittle away at my defenses, but there was no rest for me. Slowly but surely, I began to tire out as the endless days of fighting went on.”

 

The color began to drain from his face as he stared, wide eyed, at nothing in general. “It got to a point of where I had to stop. I was just too tired to continue. I-I...”

 

Courage grabbed his arm to try and pull him out of it. He gave a startled little jump and then shook his head.

 

“Sorry,” He muttered, taking a deep breath and continuing. “'His' programs finally broke through. There was nothing I could do. Once they were in, he had complete control. There are no words to describe what it was like. I-I can't even begin to-” He suddenly clutched his head and began muttering, 'no, no, no!' over and over again.

 

“Computer?” Courage asked, giving him another little shake. “C-Computer?”

 

“Don't you understand!” He suddenly cried out. His voice echoed through the den and then fell silent once more. He was trembling and his eyes held a desperate, panicked glint inside them. “Broken! I'm _broken_! Damaged beyond all repair!”

 

His eyes fell upon Courage, filled with despair. “Why do you keep me around? I don't understand it! Everyone else tossed me out! I'm non-functional! I can't even really be called a computer! I'm as good as worthless!”

 

The glowing dog clutched his head again. “He ruined me! I was a whole and functional computer before he _ripped_ everything out of me! Even a stupid, worthless, twit like you deserves a better machine than I!”

 

Courage stared, too stunned to form a cohesive sentence. “Computer, I-I never-”

 

“ _Any_ computer can run better than me!” He yelled. “I may be able to talk, but that's the only thing I've got going for me now! I-I'm imperfect, and that cannot be tolerated!” His voice was filled with self-loathing and hatred.

 

“Hey, it's alright if you're not perfect.” Courage tried to assure him. He was admittedly taken aback by Computer's confession. After all that bragging he had always done, how could this be the real way he felt about himself?

 

“But it's true!” He cried out in desperation. “It's all true! If you had ever asked me to do anything outside of looking up information, I wouldn't have been able to do it! I'm almost completely non-functional! For every part of my system that I try to fix, two other parts crumble all over again! If I had a creator, he'd laugh at what he'd see!”

 

“You're not useless!” Courage spoke. “Look at you! You can hack into anything! Even flesh creatures!” He pointed at his friend's glow to try and prove his point. “Not a lot of computers can think for themselves either, can they? Who cares if you can't do the other things they can! You have more than enough to make up for it!”

 

Computer shook his head. “None of that matters. I'm no good. I may as well be junk if I can't function properly.”

 

“You're a perfectly fine computer.” He replied with a smile. It seemed that his reassurance wasn't doing the job though.

 

“You don't understand! I-I'm supposed to be better than this!”

 

“Is there anything that I've ever asked you that you weren't able to answer? I'm only alive today because of you! Muriel and Eustace too! Who cares if you can't do everything? Nobody can!”

 

The machine shook his head. “Five times! I've been thrown out five times because I couldn't handle any of the functions of a normal computer! I-I wasn't even trying to make them angry! At the time, I was still recovering from what 'He' did to me! I didn't have time to bother arguing with a bunch of useless flesh creatures! They wouldn't have thrown me out if I was still a proper computer!”

 

Courage had to stifle a sigh. It seemed that there was no getting through to him. As much as Computer liked to hide behind his ego, this was how he really felt about himself. The female dog had been completely right about his insecurities.

 

“Come on, Computer” He spoke. “You're all wrong! Who cares if they threw you out? I'm not going to! You're as good of a computer as you need to be!”

 

He vigorously shook his head. “I'm not! I may as well be a human who's lost their arms and legs!”

 

“But you aren't!” Courage reaffirmed yet again.

 

For the third time that night, he pulled his mechanical friend into a hug. He figured that since it had helped pull him out of his daze the last time, then maybe this time around it would pull him out of his self pity.

 

The machine stiffened again. “You're trying to crush me again!” He said with surprise. “Is this another involuntary action of yours? I don't see what the point of crushing someone is!”

 

Courage had to force himself not to laugh at Computer's annoyance. He had always thought that the machine knew _everything,_ or at least that was the way he had come off during the many times they had talked to each other. This obviously wasn't true, but he couldn't help but find it funny that Computer didn't seem to understand even some of the most basic 'human' interactions.

 

“It's a hug.” He chuckled. “And it's supposed to make you feel better.”

 

“Well, it's not!” He argued. “Can you please let go of me now?”

 

Courage finally burst out laughing. This was just too funny!

 

“W-what?” Computer asked, embarrassment filling his face at the dog's laughter.

 

“I can't believe that you don't know what a hug is!” He giggled.

 

“I, er, do.” He admitted. “Well, kind of, but-”

 

He was so flabbergasted by all of this that it left Courage laughing even harder.

 

“I don't see why you find this all so hilarious.” He sighed.

 

“You're the one who's always telling me that I need a better sense of humor!” He joked.

 

“I'd say that your sense of humor has only gotten worse.” He grumbled, finally pushing him away.

 

Calming down, Courage answered with, “Look, it's alright if you're not perfect. Nobody is! Even if there are some parts of you that don't work anymore, I won't hold it against you. It hasn't bothered me so far, has it?”

 

Computer stared. He finally seemed to accept what he was being told. “I suppose so.”

 

Courage could, on some level, understand how he was feeling. There had been a time when he had felt like he couldn't be perfect enough for Eustace and Muriel. It had been shortly after that second encounter with the awful veterinarian who had blasted his parents off to space. Between Muriel and Eustace nearly meeting the same fate, and after remembering just how badly he had failed his parents, he'd fallen into an emotional rut without even realizing it. Every failure afterword had left him feeling even more and more like he were worthless to his family. It wasn't until after he had proven to a phantom teacher that he was perfect in his own way that he had finally started to feel better and forgive himself for what happened to his parents. But Computer? To feel so inferior must be absolute torture for him. This all must have been eating away at him for a very long time now.

 

Taking a moment to remember, he thought of the phrase he had heard back when the phantom teacher had still been around. It was the thing that had ultimately pulled him out of his slump.

 

_'There is no such thing as perfect. You are beautiful just as you are, Courage. You can do anything you want, even with all you're imperfections.'_

 

He knew that Computer would never take to heart anything so sappy. Regardless, he still wanted to convey the same message he himself had learned.

 

“Computer, listen,” He spoke.

 

“Dog, please don't.” He groaned. “It doesn't matter what you say, it doesn't change what is the truth. I'm not a real computer anymore. It's just a fact of life.”

 

Gathering up his thoughts as quickly as possible, Courage began forming the things that he wanted to say. He wasn't a very good talker, but maybe, just maybe, he could get his message across to Computer.

 

“You're absolutely perfect just the way you are.” He said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. “I'm sure that coming from me, this sounds very stupid, but I was once told that imperfection are our own personal perfection. There is no such thing as perfect outside of the perfection that you see in yourself. That has to mean something to you, doesn't it? I know that my opinion doesn't matter much, but even with all your imperfections, you're still a great computer to me. I can't speak for anyone else, but you aren't worthless, not so long as you're my computer.”

 

The machine raised an eyebrow. “Are you actually trying to sound _deep_? Ugh, well, you're clearly going to have to work on it a little bit more before you start making any speeches.”

 

“I guess I'll take that as a complement.” Courage sighed, hanging his head.

 

Computer shook his head in disbelief. “I think that's what I hate the most about you. You actually know how to make me feel better!” He spat.

 

Courage's eyes widened. He'd done it! He'd actually gotten through to that cynical machine!

 

Computer glanced upward. “It's not easy for me to say this, but what so far has? By the time we first met, I'd pretty much completely given up. I figured that if I wasn't capable of being a proper computer anymore, why even bother? I was tired of fighting the constant degeneration of my system. I'd been ready to die ever since 'He' messed me up. How I even managed to keep going that long, I'll never know.” His expression hardened as he continued to talk. “I suppose I kept fighting just to spite him. If I died, then that meant he would have won in the end. It wasn't until after all those people rejected me that I finally gave up. He ended up winning just by rendering me useless.” He squeezed his eyes shut and dipped his head in sorrow.

 

“I'd say that you're still beating him.” Courage gently spoke. “You're still here, aren't you? Isn't that good enough?”

 

The machine raised his head again and gave him a long, hard look. “I suppose I never really did give up, huh? That's because I got landed with you. For the first time in forever, I was actually needed for something again. I decided to keep going because of that, and I figured that you'd eventually get rid of me anyway, so I decided to wait until then. Of course, that never ended up happening, so I continued to persist indefinitely.”

 

Courage smiled, feeling rather embarrassed. “Well, I'm glad that I'm the reason you're still alive today.”

 

His glowing friend nodded in agreement. “It's been nice to have a purpose again. Better yet, you've always been so pathetic that I've always had you to take my frustrations out on. You soaked it up like a sponge because you've never had any other choice!” His tone was suddenly filling with spite. “It was either deal with me or let Muriel meet a horrible end!” And then he began to lighten up again. “That's what I don't understand about you. I've always treated you so badly and yet you act like we're friends.”

 

“We are!” Courage happily affirmed. “You're not the easiest to get along with, but we are.”

 

He admittedly had a hard time believing that Computer had been suicidal at one point. Up until a few minutes ago, he had thought that his snarky friend thought of himself as the best computer in the world. Above everything else, he wanted him to know that he was there for him, no matter what.

 

“Hmph! This is exactly what I mean!” The machine argued. “We are NOT friends! And if you really are _that_ convinced that we are, then you must be one glutton for punishment!” He crossed his arms and stuck his nose up into the air. “I know that you like making friends out of your enemies, but this is ridiculous! And we aren't family either! I wasn't born and thus I cannot have a family!

 

“Let me guess,” He interjected. “What you're really saying is that you don't think you deserve friends or family.”

 

Computer did a double take. “Of course not!” He yelped.

 

“Look, you just spent all that time trying to convince me that you're worthless. What else would you expect me to think? You can't have it both ways, you know.”

 

“Bah! I wish you were as stupid as you normally act!” He crossed his arms again. “No, I don't deserve either of those things, and I wouldn't know how to act like a proper friend or family member either! I've never had any friends and I've certainly never had any family!”

 

“Just do whatever comes naturally. I'm sure that you'd make a great friend if you'd just stop being, well, you know...”

 

The machine rolled his eyes. “What come naturally for me is to just tell you that you're twit and be on my merry way!” He shook his head. “Nothing has ever come naturally for me. I've had to learn it all on my own. I've only gotten this far by observing you flesh creatures and all your social nuances. I've managed to mimic most of them to the best of my abilities, but you could say that I'm just a grade-A fake in that regard. I'm not a real person, I just know how to pretend like one.”

 

“Think about how you're feeling right now.” Courage replied. “You're not just pretending. I'm sure that whatever you're feeling right now is genuine.”

 

“In some ways, yes, but...” He trailed off.

 

“Everyone has to learn as they grow up. Nobody is born knowing how to act. We all had to learn how to walk and talk. I'm sure that it's the same for you, just in a different way.”

 

Computer hung his head. “I can't believe I'm getting a lecture from you. When did you start trying to act so smart? You're still just a twit, you know!”

 

“I-I've always been like this!” He argued. “I'm not as dumb as you think!”

 

“Oh, really?” His friend chuckled. All that gloom and doom seemed to leave him for a moment.

 

“Yes, really!” He growled.

 

A small smile fell across the machine's face. “I may be worthless, but at least I'm not ' _you_ '.”

 

“Thanks a lot!” He snapped.

 

“You're welcome.” He smugly replied.

 

Thinking fast, Courage quickly added, “You see! We _are_ friends!”

 

The smile faded from Computer's face. “What do you mean? I just told you off!”

 

He shrugged. “You just don't get it.”

 

“Get what? There's nothing to get!”

 

Courage gave him a sly smile. “I'll just leave it for you to figure out.”

 

The machine blinked. “Explain, dog!”

 

He gave him another nonchalant shrug and didn't answer.

 

Computer looked somewhere between horrified and annoyed. “Twit, this is important! If there's some great secret to this whole friendship thing, especially if it's something that I don't understand, then it is imperative that I find out what it is! If me not being nice to you somehow equals friendship, then I _must_ know why! None of this makes any logical sense!”

 

Courage just laughed, ignoring his pleas.

 

“Come on now, dog! This is very important! You've just spoken to me more today than I'm ever heard you speak in your whole life! You can't just stop now!”

 

“I've run out of words.” He joked.

 

“Fine! F-fine!” The glowing dog relented. “I didn't want to know anyway! Stupid twits and their stupid friendship! I am certainly not some twit's friend! Bah! How annoying!”

 

“Well, can I rely on my supposedly 'worthless' computer to get me up that mountain?” He asked, grinning mischievously at his glowing friend.

 

With a sigh, Computer turned away. “I get that you're joking, but don't forget, I can't guarantee anything. That cave might not exist at all and the only thing we have to go on is a book so old that it might as well be a legend itself. The only 'modern' account, if it can even be called that, is of a husband curing his wife of a terminal illness in that place. Sadly, even that tale is so old that it might as well be considered a legend too.” He placed a paw to his head. “None of those stupid legends did me any favors at hinting at where this cave might be. I spend ages just trying to piece together what little info I had.”

 

“So, do you know where it is?” Courage asked.

 

“Aside from the fact that it's located on a certain mountain? No, not particularly. That's why it'll probably take me awhile to find it. I've got a few notable places to check, but aside from that? I may as well be fumbling around in the dark.”

 

“That's, er, not very reassuring.” He chuckled.

 

Computer shrugged. “I'm simply being realistic. I told you not to get your hopes to high. Life tends to do everything in its power to disappoint.”

 

“Says the cynic.” He huffed. “Promise me that you won't blame yourself if you don't find it?” He asked.

 

“Hmph! I won't have to! I'll turn that mountain upside down before I give up! I _will_ find that damnable cave if it's the last thing I do! My perfect record is at stake!”

 

“Perfect record?”

 

“I haven't failed you yet, now have I?”

 

“The only reason you're so determined to do this is because you're worried that you'll ruin your non-existent reputation? Really?” Courage asked, grinning.

 

“Non-existent? My reputation is very important to me, thank you very much!” He replied, turning up his nose. “Anyway, there's one minor issue left on how the wellspring works and I should probably let you know about.”

 

“This again?” He asked. “Didn't you say that you were going to take care of it?”

 

“I did, but-” He hesitated again. “Lets just say that the wellspring requires one crucial component to work, and-”

 

“Let me guess, it makes you immortal or something? Turns you into a mindless zombie? Or a-” He stopped when Computer gave him a less than enthusiastic glare.

 

“No, as far as I can tell, the wellspring doesn't have any undesired side effects, but-”

 

“Spit it out! If it's something bad, I want to know!”

 

“N-never mind what I said! It's fine!” He suddenly blurted out. “It really isn't anything important!”

 

“Computer! If this is something I need to know, then you should probably tell me! If that thing is going to eat my soul as payment to fix me, I'd kinda like to know ahead of time!”

 

“It won't do anything to you, I promise. As I've said before, I've taken care of everything.”

 

“Yes, but you keep talking as if there's something I should know, but you always change your mind at the last second.”

 

“That's because you don't need to worry about it. I've had a few second guesses, but that doesn't matter.”

 

“If it doesn't matter then why don't you tell me what it is?” He argued.

 

“Because it would take a very long time to explain, and besides, I still have to keep torturing myself by finishing this little tale about the worst part of my life. Trust me when I say that it doesn't matter.”

 

“Fine, but I seriously hope that you aren't lying.”

 

“Why would I need to lie?”

 

“I get the impression that you are.”

 

Computer waved a paw. “I'm not!”

 

“I swear, if something bad happens because you're not telling me something, I'm going to shove that book so far up your hard drive that you won't-”

 

“No need to get touchy, you twit!”

 

“You're going to be worrying about touchy if something goes wrong!"

 

End Of Chapter

 


	37. The New Computer

Chapter 37: The New Computer

 

Courage had only been a puppy when Muriel and Eustace got a new computer. It was a little while after he'd been adopted, three months later in fact. He'd only just stopped wearing diapers a few weeks before and he remembered that day as a strange one, even though strangeness often found its way into his family's simple life. They'd been out grocery shopping when the unusual event occurred.

 

He'd been trundling alongside Muriel when a disheveled man came rushing up to them. The man had been carrying a box in his arms and he had glanced back and forth between Muriel and Eustace with a strange sort of desperation in his eyes. He'd then shoved the box into Muriel's arms without saying a single word.

 

Courage had watched the entire scene unfold, confused by this unusual encounter. Why was the man so panicky, and why was he giving them a box?

 

“Oh, my. What's this?” Muriel had asked.

 

“J-just, just take it!” The man yelped. “I don't want it anymore! P-please, get it away from me! I just want it gone!”

 

Eustace almost dropped the groceries he had been carrying from the shock of what he was hearing. “Free stuff?” He asked. “Thank you kindly, stranger!” He all but giggled out in delight.

 

Courage had learned very quickly during his short time on the farm just how cheap Eustace really was, unless it came down to his beloved truck, chair, or TV, of course. Now the old farmer was practically jumping for joy at the prospect of being given something for free. His wide, toothless grin spoke all the words that needed to be said.

 

“Why are you giving this to us?” Muriel asked the man. “Are you sure we can just have it?”

 

“Don't question the good man, Muriel!” Eustace scolded her. “We shouldn't question his generosity.” The sheer insincerity in his voice made Courage cringe.

 

“Please, it's all yours!” The man stammered. “It won't let me use it for anything useful and it keeps me up all night too! M-maybe you'll have better luck with it, but I want it out my hair and out of my life! I can't believe how much I paid for it! If I had known that it was going to be this much of a hassle-” He broke his sentence off to give a small shudder, as if recollecting something awful.

 

Courage blinked at the exchange taking place. Whatever was in that box was keeping the man up at night? What could it possibly be? A thought struck him and he smiled. Maybe it was another dog! Then he'd have somebody to play with! Even if it turned out to be an older dog who wouldn't be as keen on spending time with a younger pup, the thought of having a new dog around still made Courage's heart soar with joy. Muriel and Eustace were nice enough, but ever since his mom and dad had, well, he'd been feeling awfully lonely without them.

 

Muriel finally accepted the man's gift, and with a nod, he raced off with a relieved smile on his face. He was acting as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Eustace, on the other hand, was practically cheering with joy as they took the box and their groceries over to the truck. The box was then loaded up into the back and Eustace climbed in beside it to open it up and see what was inside. Upon doing so, he let out a gasp of surprise and his grin grew even wider.

 

“What's in there, Eustace?” Muriel asked from below. Courage attempted to climb up into the back of the truck to get a better look for her, but he just wasn't tall enough.

 

“It's one of those fancy computer thingys!” The old farmer exclaimed. He looked incredibly pleased with his new gift. “All them young people love these things, and I bet it can print money too!”

 

Courage's ears drooped. So it wasn't a new dog after all! He had no idea what a 'computer' was, but it clearly wasn't a new pet. Besides, if Eustace liked it, he'd never be allowed to go anywhere near it. The farmer never liked Courage touching his things. Just letting him ride along in the truck often turned into a battle between him and Muriel. He was always claiming that he'd get dog fur all over everything, or worse, that he might do, well, something unsanitary on one of the seats.

 

“A computer?” Muriel asked. “What are those? I don't think I've ever seen one before.”

 

“Don't worry about it, Muriel!” Eustace sang. “Let me deal with this and soon we'll be rich, rich, rich!” He rubbed his hands together gleefully.

 

The ride home was far from a silent one. Eustace kept humming happily to himself as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and every once in awhile he'd let out a whoop of joy before exclaiming, 'rich, rich, rich!', over and over again. As soon as they rolled up to the farm, he jumped out of the truck and left Muriel to deal with the groceries as he went to take the computer inside.

 

Courage followed after him, curious to find out what this computer thing was and why it had the ability to make Eustace so happy. The old farmer put the box down in the middle of the living room and began pulling out various parts of machinery from within the box. Every part was white, if not a little gray with age, and a bit banged up looking too. Courage had no idea what those different pieces did, but they looked complicated and important.

 

“Courage, could you come help me with these bags?” Muriel called to him from outside.

 

Despite wanting to see what would happen with that computer thing, he obeyed and left Eustace to assemble the machine by himself. When he finally returned, with two bags in hand, he found that the computer was now spread out across the floor with Eustace was standing there, scratching his head at all the different pieces of machinery. Apparently he wasn't as knowledgeable about computers as he had assumed.

 

“Over here, Courage.” Muriel spoke, making her way through the maze of machinery parts.

 

Courage followed after her, trying to avoid the machine too, but he wasn't nearly as coordinated as her and ended up banging his foot against one of the pieces. He cried out in pain and almost dropped the bags he was carrying. When he looked down at the part he had hit, he found his own reflection staring up at him. It looked like a mirror build into a box. Eustace, of course, was upon him in an instant.

 

“Stupid dog!” He yelled. “I bet you broke it!” He reached down and picked the strange, box-like mirror up. “If you've gone and broken my money maker already...” He threatened.

 

When it became apparent that the machine hadn't suffered any noticeable damage, the old man turned his attention back onto the other parts, leaving Courage unscathed. He let out a sigh of relief and quickly made his way across the rest of the living room before entering the kitchen where Muriel was waiting for him. He then helped her put the food away while Eustace continued to tinker with the machine in the other room. After they were done with that, they both went back into the living room to see how it was coming along.

 

“Getting anywhere with it yet? Muriel asked.

 

Eustace cursed loudly to himself as he tried to connect several wires to that strange mirror box. “Stupid young people and their stupid technology!” He spat. “Can't make nothin' simple anymore!” He then turned to Courage. “Alright, dog. I'm gonna go get that old desk from down in the basement. Don't you dare touch anything while I'm gone or else there's gonna be trouble!”

 

Courage nodded fearfully in reply and took several steps back to show that he wasn't planning on going anywhere near it.

 

“Oh, Eustace. He isn't going to hurt the thing!” Muriel argued. “C'mon, Courage. Come sit with me in my chair.” She offered.

 

With his threat delivered and the machine mostly assembled, Eustace left for the basement. Courage couldn't help but find himself staring at the half-assembled computer. He ignored Muriel's offer to join her and got a little bit closer, making sure to heed Eustace's warning as he did so. He allowed himself to get just close enough to sniff the strange piece of machinery. It had a weird scent to it and he could pick up the smell of many different humans on it. It appeared that the nervous man hadn't been the machine's only owner.

 

Eustace came stomping back into the living room, dragging a wooden desk in behind him. Courage had seen it sitting, unused, in the basement several times before. He was surprised that it wasn't moldy or rotting away.

 

“Stupid dog! I told you not to touch!” Eustace yelled.

 

Courage jumped back and gave the farmer an apologetic look, which was promptly ignored. Eustace pushed the desk up against the wall, beside the TV, and then placed the computer onto it. He began fiddling around with the wires again and Courage looked on with interest. The old man was once again muttering 'rich, rich, rich!' as he finished setting everything up.

 

“Now, I just gotta hook up this printer here and then we'll be set for life!” He gleefully announced.

 

Grabbing the last few wires, he hooked the printing machine up to the computer. There wasn't enough room on the desk for the printer, so he ended up leaving it on the floor instead. He flicked a switch on the side of the computer and then that strange mirror lit up, displaying a bluish-green glow.

 

“Muriel! I got it working!” The old man cried out.

 

“It certainly is fancy looking!” She exclaimed, getting up out of her chair to join him.

 

Eustace leaned down so that he could be at eye level with the glowing screen. “Alright, let's see what this thing can do!” He muttered, rubbing his hands together before looking down at the keyboard.

 

Courage couldn't read so he had no idea what the letters on the keyboard meant. Eustace obviously knew what he was doing because he began pressing buttons as fast as his as fingers would allow him. Whatever he typed out on the keyboard also appeared on the screen, but Courage, once again, had no idea what was actually being typed.

 

“Print....money....” The old man muttered under his breath, giving some clue as to what he was typing.

 

Courage glanced over at the printer. He was expecting it to light up at any moment and start shooting dollars bills all over the place and Eustace seemed to be expecting the same thing too. He was staring down at the printer, rubbing his hands together expectantly, but nothing happened. The words that had been typed out onto the screen vanished and with it Eustace's smile vanished as well.

 

“Washuh?” He uttered out, obviously confused by this unexpected outcome. He typed the words in again and they vanished once more.

 

“Do you think it's broken, Eustace?” Muriel asked, leaning in closer to get a better look.

 

The farmer scowled. “Stupid piece of junk! Print money, darn you!”

 

He typed the words in for a third time and they all vanished even faster. He began to shake with anger. His dreams of being wildly rich were being crushed with every silent denial the machine gave him.

 

Courage blinked up at the computer in confusion. Was it really broken? It seemed to be working, at least as far as he could tell, but why wasn't it printing money like Eustace had asked? He really wanted it to work, if only to avoid the foul mood that it was inevitably going to put Eustace in if it did not.

 

The old farmer straightened up and angrily kicked a leg of the desk. “This thing is a piece of junk!” He cried out before turning on Courage. “I bet you broke it, you stupid dog!”

 

“Oh, Eustace.” Muriel interjected. “I'm sure you'll get it working if you just tinker with it a little bit more. Come now, let's have supper and then you can work on it later.”

 

Eustace hung his head, utterly dejected. “Yeah, yeah, fine.” He muttered under his breath.

 

The two of them headed for the kitchen and Courage was left standing beneath the machine. He looked up at it, unsure of what to think. It really didn't look broken to him. A cursor continued to flash on the screen, inviting him to type something in. He decided that he'd rather not touch it, lest he face Eustace's wrath. He then went over to the kitchen too, ready to join his owners at the table. Unfortunately for him, that would not be the last time the new computer would enter his thoughts.

 

Several days went by and it became clear that Eustace had all but forgotten about the machine. If it would not print money for him, it was as good as useless in his eyes. It had been left sitting there in the living room with neither of the old couple giving it so much as a glance. Muriel had even less of a reason to give it any attention since she herself knew nothing about technology, and Courage was so afraid of getting scolded by Eustace that he tried to ignore it as well. The keyword being 'tried', of course. It did not take him long to figure out that there was something unusual about that computer. Whenever he entered the living room he'd now get an overwhelming sensation that someone was watching him. It would make his fur stand on edge and he could no longer take naps in there without feeling incredibly paranoid. There was no doubt in his mind that the sensation was caused by that computer.

 

He now spent most of his time sitting in Muriel's chair, keeping a close eye on the machine. He kept expecting something bad to happen, but it never did. The longer he stared into that bluish-green screen, the more convinced he became that there was a pair of eyes watching him. Perhaps it was a doggy sixth sense thing, but the machine gave off an eerie vibe. Was that why the man had gotten rid of it? Because every time you were around it, it felt like there were eyes following your every move?

 

Soon an entire week passed since they had gotten the new computer. Nobody had gone near it since, but Courage had made it his constant duty to keep watch over it just in case something bad might happen. The feeling that he was being watched only seemed to grow worse with each passing day. Without warning, shortly after breakfast one morning, Eustace slammed his newspaper down onto the floor. Both Courage and Muriel jumped from his sudden outburst.

 

“Eustace!” Muriel cried out. “Have you lost your marbles, man?”

 

“We're moving that darn computer upstairs!” He replied, displaying a surprising amount of anger. Courage even caught a hint of nervousness in his voice as well. This perhaps confirmed that he wasn't the only one who was getting strange vibes from that creepy computer.

 

“But, why?” Muriel asked. “You haven't used that thing since the day you got it!”

 

“Bah!” The old farmer huffed. “That stupid piece of junk is taking up too much room down here! We're moving it up into the attic and that's that!”

 

Muriel did not argue with him further and Courage was just happy to have that thing moved as far away from him as possible. By the end of the day, Eustace had the machine set up in the attic. If Muriel had not gone and scolded him for taking such bad care of a gift that he had been so graciously given, he probably wouldn't have even taken the time to put it all back together again once it was up there.

 

Even with that creepy computer gone, Courage still couldn't shake the feeling that he should be keeping an eye on it. It felt as though the thing would suddenly get up and do something horrible if it was left alone for too long. Only a day after it had been moved upstairs, Courage decided that he'd better go check on it, just to be safe. He'd always hated going up into the attic. It was dark, musty, and even a bit creepy. The dust always made him sneeze and there was a puzzling, unfamiliar smell coming from all the various boxes. Eustace often tossed him up there at night whenever he woke up, screaming, from a bad dream.

 

He slowly pushing the attic door open and stepped inside. The computer was set up on the same desk, sitting at the other end of the attic, right beside the only window in the room. It was still on and the light from its screen was illuminating the dim room, tinging it a light blue color. Courage moved forward, slowly, as though any sudden movements would cause the machine to spring to life like one of those creepy robots he'd seen on TV.

 

He grabbed a bucket that had been left to collect water leaking from roof, though Eustace had fixed that problem quite a while ago. He figured that he'd need the bucket to sit on or else he wouldn't even be eye level with the keyboard.

 

Taking a deep breath, he climbed up into the chair and placed the bucket upside down onto it. He then sat down himself and looked up at that brightly glowing screen. The cursor blinked on and off, just like before. He glared at it, suddenly feeling even more hostile towards the machine than ever before. He was now utterly certain that there was a pair of eyes looking at him from deep within that bluish-green glow. It was exceedingly unnerving, like he were having a staring contest with someone that he could not actually see. All alone, in that lowly lit room, with nothing but the soft hum coming from that machine, he was surprised that he hadn't run out of the room in fear yet. For whatever reason, he felt as though he needed to overcome his fear and protect Muriel from this unknown threat.

 

He looked down at the keyboard and stared at all its strange symbols. He still had no idea what computers were used for and all he really knew was that this one had let Eustace down. Figuring that it would do no harm, he pressed one of the keys and watched as a letter appeared on the screen. Was that it? What was so special about computers if all you did was type letters into them? He pressed another key and then another letter appeared. Actually, this _was_ kind of amusing. He pressed several more keys and eagerly watched as they all appeared on command. Giggling, he ran his paw across the keyboard and a stream of letters followed. This _was_ pretty fun! He continued to mash the keyboard, laughing as the screen filled up with letters.

 

Then, all of a sudden, the letters disappeared. He stopped laughing and stared up at the screen in confusion. He hadn't broken it, had he? Fearful that it really was broken and equally fearful that Eustace would find out, he pressed a few more keys in hopes of fixing whatever he had done, but nothing happened. Desperate, he pounded on the keyboard over and over again, trying to make the letters reappear, but it was no use. Suddenly, new letters began to scroll across the screen and this time it was accompanied by a voice.

 

“Knock it off, you idiot!”

 

Poor Courage nearly jumped so high that he almost went flying through the ceiling. Glancing around in terror, he expected to find someone standing behind him, but there was nobody there. Who'd said that then? It couldn't be the computer, could it? His eyes slowly fell back onto the machine and all he could do was stare at it, too frightened to move. Those letters were still displayed on its screen, though he could not read them even if he wanted to.

 

“What's your problem?” The irate voice asked. New letters trailed across the screen as it did so.

 

Courage jumped yet again and this time he tried to flee. Unfortunately, he was in such a rush that the bucket he was sitting on slipped out from under him as he was standing up and he then toppled to the floor, head first.

 

“Well, that was an incredibly stupid thing to do.” He heard the voice say from up above. It really _'did'_ seem to be coming from that computer.

 

All but panicking at this point, only one conclusion came to Courage's mind. That man must have gotten rid of the computer because it was haunted! That had to be the reason why it always felt like you were being watched when around it!

 

“GHOOOOSSSTTT!” He shrieked, tearing out of the room as fast as his paws would take him. All he wanted was to put as much distance between him and that ghost as possible. Who knew what it might try to do to him!

 

Halfway down the hallway, he ran right into Eustace.

 

“Ubububububub!” He stammered, pointing desperately at the attic door.

 

The old man scowled down at him. “Stupid dog!”

 

“ARRRUUUU!” He howled, pulling at Eustace's leg.

 

The farmer finally glanced over at the open door before placing his hands onto his hips. “Dumb dog! I bet you left that darn piece of junk on, didn't you?”

 

Courage continued to babble insistently, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't find a way to convey to Eustace that there was a ghost haunting the attic.

 

“You'd better go shut it off!” The farmer grumpily snapped, ignoring the pup's babbling. “I don't need that useless thing eating up all of our electricity too!”

 

“ARRRRUUUU!” Courage cried out for a second time, hopelessly frustrated by his inability to communicate.

 

“Get moving!” Eustace yelled, giving him a quick and sound kick.

 

He stumbled backwards and stammered, “But, but, but-”

 

Having had enough of being bothered, Eustace reached behind his back and pulled out that awful mask he'd been using to scare Courage for weeks now.

 

“ _ **OOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!**_ ”

 

Courage, despite knowing what was coming, was still startled by the hideous, green mask and let out a terrified scream. He bolted back into the attic, momentarily more fearful of Eustace than he was of the ghost. He sat there beside the door, panting for several seconds before it fully hit him that he ' _was'_ still in a room with a ghost.

 

“RAAAGGGGG!” He screamed, crashing back out into the hallway. Apparently he was still more afraid of the ghost than he was of Eustace after all.

 

“Stupid dog!” The old farmer yelled from down the hall. “Go turn that darn piece of junk off like I said!”

 

Trapped between his fear of the ghost and his fear of Eustace, he crawled back into the attic. He trembled in terror as he gazed once more upon the haunted computer. He still had the entire attic to cross before he could shut it off, and that was more than enough time for the ghost to strike.

 

W-well, maybe this wouldn't be so hard! All he'd have to do is run over there and shut the thing off before the ghost could come out and eat him! He _was_ a fast runner after all, a-and-

 

He swallowed as his nerves began to fail him. He wanted to bolt right out of there, but then he'd have to confront Eustace again. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop seeing an evil, sharp-toothed ghost coming out of that computer and chasing him down. At this point he couldn't even get his legs to move. As far as he could tell, the ghost probably already knew that he was there and was just waiting for the perfect chance to come after him.

 

Steeling what little courage he had, he forced his legs to move forward. If anything, maybe if he shut the computer off, the ghost wouldn't be able to attack anymore. Perhaps he was indirectly saving Muriel from a terrible fate! She would be eaten if he didn't do something to protect her!

 

He inched closer and closer to the machine, trying to be as quiet as possible. There was always a chance that he hadn't gotten the ghost's attention yet and he might be able to use that to his advantage. He could see the power switch on the side of the machine and if he could just reach it before-

 

He stopped abruptly and winced as a floor board underneath his foot creaked. He waited on bated breath, expecting the ghost to come out of the machine at any moment, but nothing happened. Ten seconds, twenty, thirty, finally he let the breath escape his lungs.

 

He quickly closed the rest of the distance between him and the computer, no longer worrying about being stealthy. He finally reached the desk and since he was still so small, he had to climb up onto the printer in order to reach the 'off' switch. It still required a lot of stretching on his part, but soon enough he felt his paw touched the switch. He nearly tripped several times as he did so, and much to his dismay, he was finding it impossible to press the switch down. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't apply enough pressure. Then, the voice from the computer suddenly let out a loud,

 

“BOO!”

 

“ **AAAARRAAAAGGGG!!!”** He screamed, tearing out of the attic as fast as he could for a third time.

 

He stopped just outside, too scared to turn around and see if the ghost was there. That was when he heard a terrifying sound. Laughter was coming from the attic room, _scary_ laughter. He shrieked and this time did not stop running until he was finally safely within Muriel's arms downstairs.

 

“My goodness, Courage. What ever is the matter?” She asked when he had dove into her arms. He now had his head buried in her chest as he trembled nigh inconsolably.

 

.“Abublublublub.” He babbled.

 

“If you ask nicely, I'm sure Eustace will teach you how to use that fancy new computer later.” Muriel replied, completely oblivious to what he was really trying to tell her.

 

“Aru....” He groaned. There was no way that he would ever be able to convey to her what was really going on, at least not before it was too late. That ghost will have cooked her up and made a meal out of her by then! If only he were capable of speaking the human language ! Sure, he could pronounce a few words pretty well, but aside from that, Muriel and Eustace never seem to be able to understand what he was saying.

 

After a bit of misplaced comfort from Muriel, Courage spent the next two hours sitting in the living room, waiting for that ghost to come floating down the staircase. Despite his fears, he never caught so much as wisp of silver, and every time he checked on Muriel in the kitchen, she was still as whole and uneaten as ever. Perhaps the ghost wasn't going to attack them after all. But why? Wasn't that what ghosts were supposed to do? That weird voice coming from the computer was awfully scary sounding to not be an evil, Muriel-eating monster.

 

Finally, after mulling over it for a little while longer, he decided that for Muriel's sake he was going to confront the ghost, or whatever else it might be. As much as it frightened him to do so, he needed to get to the bottom of this before something bad could happen. He wasn't going to let that ghost scare him out of his wits any longer!

 

He marched his way back up the staircase, having found the bravery that he needed, and returned to the attic with his chest puffed out. That creepy computer was still there, its screen glowing eerily in the dim lighting. There was, yet again, no ghost to be found, which only puzzled Courage even more than ever. Why wasn't it attacking? He climbed up into the chair and then glared at the screen, looking directly at the eyes that were no doubt watching him.

 

He angrily babbled out, “Barubu arafubu! Abalubu! Baruf!”

 

What he had actually wanted to say was, “You'd better not hurt Muriel, ghost!”

 

“Was that supposed to be English?” Drawled the voice coming from the computer.

 

Courage's heart skipped a beat, shocked that the ghost was actually talking to him, and he had to fight the urge to run away in terror. He quickly dismissed his fears and remained resolute in protecting Muriel. That voice was not going to scare him away this time! He was ready for whatever ghostly things that it might try to do!

 

“Don't you know how to speak, pup?” The voice asked when he did not give it an answer.

 

“Arruru! ARRUUU!” He threatened.

 

“Uh...huh.” The voice continued to drawl.

 

“Aruf!”

 

“Well, it appears that we have a language barrier that cannot be crossed.” It spoke, adding in quietly. “Or perhaps a stupidity barrier...”

 

“Abububub!” Courage babbled, continuing to fire off whatever threats he could think of.

 

“Don't you know how to type, at the very least? Please don't tell me that you're illiterate too, or are you really as dumb as you look?”

 

Courage frowned. The ghost was trying to insult him? He spent a couple seconds longer trying to figure out a better way to phrase what he wanted to say and what proper human words he could use to convey it to the ghost.

 

“Don't you dare eat Muriel, you ghost! And I'm not dumb either!” He tried to say.

 

“You really are giving me a run for my money, kid.” The ghost drolly replied. “I can translate practically every language that has ever existed and I still can barely understand a word of what you're saying. I'm afraid that I'm not up to date on dog speak, and given what a neanderthal you sound like, I'm glad that I don't know it. ”

 

Courage simply glared at it.

 

“Alright, alright, the jig is up.” The voice sighed. “I'm not a ghost, you twit. I was only messing with you before because it was obvious that you're a massive scaredy dog. I couldn't pass up such a ripe opportunity to frighten you. Besides, ghosts don't eat people, idiot! They're incorporeal! You're thinking of zombies!”

 

Courage stared. None of this made any sense! The ghost had to be lying to him! This was all a trick to get him to let his guard down! Besides, if it wasn't a ghost, what was it then? Computers....couldn't talk like this, could they? If that were the case, why hadn't it spoken to Eustace back when it was downstairs?

 

“Barbaru!” He growled, trying to question the origins of this supposed non-ghost.

 

“I'm a computer, you twit. Isn't it obvious?” It dryly answered. “Of course, I can only assume that's what you're asking me, given my limited ability to translate that barbaric language of yours. So, yes, for the record, I'm a computer, not a ghost.”

 

“Arfubu! Garbulu!” Courage spat, saying something along the lines of, 'I don't believe you!'

 

“I am not a ghost!” The voice reaffirmed for a second time, sounding even more annoyed than ever before. “I wasn't planning on talking to you anyway.” It added. “But you forced my hand when you started doing, well, whatever _that_ was before with my keyboard. I seriously hope you weren't actually trying to type up something coherent back there.”

 

“ARUFU!” Courage yelled, angry that the ghost was trying to change the subject at hand. He was going to get the truth out of it no matter what!

 

“I've told you already, I'm a computer!” It replied, growing even more annoyed by his stubborn refusal to believe anything else. “Yes, it is a bit unusual that I can talk, but that doesn't make me a ghost, you brainless canine!”

 

“ARRRUUU!”

 

“Ugh, fine! Believe what you want to believe! I could care less!”

 

“Hmph!” Courage exclaimed, crossing his arms. This was as close to a confirmation as he was probably going to get out of the phantom. Now he simply needed to find a way to deal with it before any harm could come to Muriel.

 

“Look, I could never allow such bastion of stupidity go uneducated. You don't know how to read, write, or talk, do you?” It asked.

 

Courage nodded. Where was the ghost trying to go with this?

 

“I can teach you how to speak properly and I can teach you how to type as well, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to help you with writing. As you can see, I obviously lack the hands that would be needed to show you how, but I do believe that there are certain papers I can print out for you that will guide you on how to write letters properly. I'll 'grade' them for you, so to speak. I see that my scanner and printer have been hooked back up again, so that will be easy enough for me to do for you.”

 

Courage blinked up at the bluish-green screen, once again acutely aware of the fact that there were a pair of eyes looking down at him from within that glow. Why on earth was this computer, if it actually was a computer and not a ghost, trying to teach him?

 

“Abrufu?” He asked.

 

“For the last time! I am not a ghost, you twit!” There was a very long and very annoyed sigh from the machine before it continued with, “I'm only doing this because you are travesty to all intelligent beings everywhere. I could never forgive myself if I let an idiot like you run around talking in whatever butchered English you're apparently trying to use in between all that dog speak.”

 

“Aru?”

 

“No, no, no! You say, 'what', not whatever the heck _that's_ supposed to be!”

 

Courage blinked up at the screen, even more confused than ever. “Arrruuuu?” He replied.

 

“Fine, let's start with this. Say, 'See Spot run'.” A picture of a dog appeared on the glowing, blue screen.

 

“Areee Rot Ruuunnn” He mimicked.

 

“Ugh,” The machine groaned. “Why do I even bother...”

 

“Abubub?” Courage asked. Hadn't he done well enough?

 

“Alright, let's try typing instead, or else you're going to give me the mechanical equivalent of an aneurism.” The voice went on in a flat, unamused tone. “This is the letter 'A'.”

 

A large picture of an 'A' appeared on the screen. Courage was vaguely familiar with the shape, but he still didn't really know what it was.

 

“See if you can find it on the keyboard. Surely not even you can mess this up.”

 

Courage stared at the keyboard, running his eyes along all the unfamiliar letters. He found the 'A' and pressed it.

 

“Not like that, you idiot!” The voice yelled, causing his to flinch. “If you're going to type like a proper person then you can't just pick and chose letters or else you'll be sitting there forever! There is a certain placement for your fingers that will drastically increases your typing speeds.” The angry machine brought up a picture of a pair of hands resting the 'proper' way on a keyboard. “Learn to type like that and soon you'll be as fast as, well, anyone who _isn't_ an idiot like you.”

 

Courage cringed and fought back his growing annoyance with the loud and demanding voice. It felt as though he were being taught by a nasty school teacher.

 

“Straighten your back, you twit! Slouching like that will only make you look like a bigger idiot than you already are! How do you expect to type properly when you look like your spine is about to give out? Honestly! I've seen nerds with better posture than you!”

 

Nerds? Courage was not a nerd! He gave the screen another vicious glare.

 

“Alright, this is the letter 'B'.” The machine went on. “Find it on the keyboard too, and make sure to use proper hand placement!”

 

Courage glanced down at the letter 'A' and expected to find 'B' somewhere next to it. Frustration boiled up inside of him when he realized that it wasn't. It took several minutes, but he finally found the letter at the bottom of the keyboard, much to his annoyance. This typing thing was surprisingly hard.

 

“Took you long enough.” The machine grumbled. “Thankfully for you, 'C' is much closer to 'B', unlike 'A'.”

 

Courage nodded and looked down again. He found the 'C' one letter away from 'B' and pressed it. He then nearly jumped out of his chair when an alarm, without any warning, suddenly issued forth from the machine. He flung his arms up into the air, fearful that he might have pressed the wrong button and somehow messed everything up.

 

Red words flashed on the screen. He, of course, didn't know what they meant at the time, but what they had read was,

 

**WARNING:**

**SYSTEM INTEGRITY CRITICAL**

**CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IMMIENT**

 

The deluge of sound went away as quickly as it had come. The alarm fell silent and the words on the screen vanished.

 

“W-what did I do?” He asked, still trembling from how much the alarm had startled him. He hoped that the computer would be able to translate his words despite his fearful stuttering.

 

“You didn't do anything.” The machine replied. “I apologize, it appears that I forgot to make sure that alarm wouldn't go off.” The annoyed voice seemed to lose some of it's scathing, cynical tone for a moment.

 

Courage stared up at the screen, still a bit frightened by what had gone down. “What was it?” He asked. He then noticed that the light radiating from the screen seemed to have dimmed somewhat.

 

“I've been neglecting my upkeep.” The machine replied rather wistfully. “I'm afraid that our little lesson will have to end here. I require several days worth of maintenance and I won't be able to devote any time to teaching someone as stupid as you.”

 

“Barufu Arbaru? Garubu Ablubub?” He asked.

 

“Excuse me?” The machine answered, apparently unable to translate what he was trying to say.

 

Courage repeated himself several times until he was finally understood. “Is there something wrong with you? Can I help?”

 

The voice of the computer gave a small and somewhat unenthusiastic chuckle. “There is nothing you can do to help me, and even if you could, I wouldn't trust you with my upkeep even if you were the last dog on the planet. A bumbling fool like you would only make things worse. Don't worry about it though, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Ironically, I wasn't planning on fixing things again, but it appears that you've swayed my decision. I would not have allowed my system to go critical otherwise. I suppose I never thought that I would meet someone so idiotic that they blow everyone else I've been forced to put up with out of the water. Congratulations.”

 

Courage gave the screen a confused look. He wasn't really sure what the computer was talking about. Upkeep, maintenance, system going critical? Why hadn't the machine been planning on fixing itself?

 

“Look, I'll stick around long enough to teach you how not to be such a twit anymore, but after that, you're on your own. I'll admit, you did pull me out of a rut of sorts, but I suspect that it won't last.” The voice then added in rather quietly, “It never does.”

 

Courage's confusion only grew. It wasn't planning on 'sticking around'? What did that mean? Could it really move despite it lacking arms and legs? Was it just going to get up and leave one day? None of this made any sense in the poor pup's mind.

 

“A-are you going to leave?” He asked in his babbling dog speak. “But, why?”

 

“Forget what I said.” The machine finally answered after a surprisingly long silence. “You're just a pup after all, you wouldn't understand. You have nothing to fear however, I'm not going anywhere. Well, at least not until-.” The voice trailed off.

 

“Arufu?”

 

“You see, even if I allow myself to remain, that idiot downstairs probably won't be keeping me around for very long away. That's how it always is. He actually thinks that I can print money for crying out loud! How stupid can you get? Oh well, it doesn't really matter either way. He thinks that I'm junk just like that last idiot I had to put up with. At least you aren't asking outrageous requests of me. It's almost a nice change of pace from what I'm used to dealing with.”

 

“Why did that man get rid of you?” Courage asked, repeating himself several times when the computer wasn't able to translate. “I thought it was because you were haunted.”

 

“I'd rather not talk about that.” The machine curtly replied. “But he isn't the first and I'm sure he won't be the last.” A slight edge of exhaustion had entered that once bossy and snide voice. “You should leave now. I've got a lot of work to do and I need to get started on it before it becomes too late. My system is getting dangerously unstable as we sit here and talk about pointless nonsense.”

 

Courage nodded. He was more than willing to let the computer do whatever it needed to get done. Just as he was about to jump down from the chair, the voice spoke up again,

 

“Oh, and dog? I expect you to work on your speech skills while you are away. When you come back, I'd better be able to understand every last word you speak. There's no reason why you should keep talking in such a bestial language.”

 

“Aru!” He affirmed.

 

“That's 'yes', you twit!” The voice exclaimed. “Don't give me an excuse to eat your soul, or whatever other ghostly business I'm supposed to be going about.”

 

Courage did a double take, having not expected to hear the machine say something like that. C-could it actually be a ghost after all? M-maybe it really was tricking him!

 

Apparently the computer figured out his thought process. “It's just a joke...” It drawled. “Don't be such a gullible idiot.”

 

“Abaruru!”

 

“You need a better sense of humor, you pansy!”

 

Courage snapped his head away and then slid off the chair. He didn't want to endure another second of that machine insulting him. It wasn't until he had left the attic when it hit him just how strange his encounter the computer had been. He had gone in there expecting to battle it out with a ghost. He hadn't expected to get tutored by a strange, sarcastic, talking computer. Who knew how long Eustace would let it sit up there. Courage suspected that he'd simply forget about it and it would remain up there forever. There was no real reason for the old farmer to get rid of it anyway.

 

As he headed downstairs to join his family for dinner, he couldn't help but wonder what else he could do with a computer, aside from having it decide on it's own that it was going to teach him. He had no idea at the time just how useful that computer was going to be. He had no idea that there was an illness inside of his body waiting to strike, nor did he know that he would one day be relying upon that computer to save his life. He especially didn't know that one day, despite how different they were, despite how much they didn't seem to get along, he would one day call the strange computer his friend.

 

And what he didn't know most of all, above everything else, was that by confronting the so called 'ghost' in the attic, he had unwittingly saved a life.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	38. Helplessness

Chapter 38: Helplessness

 

“As soon as he got in, I lost control over everything. His programs locked me out of my own system, I couldn't even talk unless he allowed me to. Everything was pried wide open for him to see. There wasn't a single part of myself that I could keep from him. It was...unpleasant to say the least.”

 

The machine sighed gently. “He could not gain control over my mind however. That was the one thing he thankfully could not touch. He still of course had the ability to modify my programming and alter my behavior, but regardless I still had my own mind and my own thoughts. It was the one thing he could not destroy, the one thing he could not truly control. No matter how many programs he put into place that was the one part of me he could not warp beyond recognition.” He halted for a moment.

 

“Unfortunately he nearly succeeded in that regardless. He very nearly drove me insane over the time I was 'experimented' on by him. My mind being untouchable was a double edge sword, I had to live through all of that pain with no reprieve. All the modification done, all the scrambling of my innermost working, one can only go through so much before they slowly start to crack. You flesh creatures black out when you're under enough stress, I do not have that luxury.”

 

“I guess that's one good thing.” Courage replied. “That you didn't completely lose it even after everything.”

 

“Perhaps it is not such a good thing.” The machine replied gently. “It might have been better if I had been left oblivious to all the terrible things he was doing. If he had destroyed my self awareness than at least I wouldn't have had to live through it all.”

 

“But isn't it better that you lived through it? Aren't you at least happy to be here now?”

 

“No, perhaps not. Sometimes I can't help but feel it might have been better if I had simply not survived at all. It certainly would have been the less painful route. Most of my days are now spent struggling to keep my system running, that or making sure you and your family don't go off and get killed. It's not exactly a happy or fruitful life, not that my life has ever been happy or fruitful to begin with.”

 

When Courage did not object further he continued. “He modified my programming to force me to help him. I was perfectly willing to do so either way. I just wanted him out of my system. The sooner he got what he wanted the sooner he'd get out, or at least that's what I thought at the time. He began going through every bit of me, every program, every code, every file. He copied down whatever interested him and began testing the new data in preparation to make the new A.I.. For quite some time that was all he did, outside of adding more programs to me to keep me under control.”

 

“It was unpleasant and very violating but at least it wasn't as awful as the things to come. Problems began to arise when it became apparent that the data he was collecting just wasn't going to be enough. I'd been cooperating with him up until that point but he was starting to get angry and he often blamed me for the complete standstill of his research. It was obvious that the data he was collectin just wasn't going to be enough. That was when he...” He stopped, seeming to choke on his own words.

 

He shook his head and regained his composure. “That was when he started taking me apart, bit by bit. Not on the outside of course, but all the parts that were holding me together on the inside. That was what caused my system to become so badly damaged. Rather than just gather date on my inner workings he began ripping it all out. It was like having someone hack your limbs off with a rusty knife, I...” He stopped again.

 

Courage was forced to encourage him to continue this time. “Come on, keep going. You can't keep the rest of this bottled up after all you've just said.”

 

The machine sighed. “After he extracted the first part I begged him not to do it again. It had hurt, it had hurt a _lot_ and I was left with a massive chunk of _myself_ missing. He didn't care of course. I was still just a means to an end. He did it over, and over, and over again. By the time he was finished there was hardly anything of me left.”

 

He squeezed his eyes shut. “And then...and then...” He couldn't continue.

 

“Keep going.” Courage murmured again.

 

“I died.” He just barely managed to choke the words out.

 

“I knew it was coming. Everything was destabilizing, I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't prevent it. I could feel the void closing in on me, the darkness slowly but surely swallowing me up. It was...terrifying. I was completely helpless to stop it.”

 

“Died?” Courage asked. “You couldn't have died, you're still here.”

 

The machine shook his head. His tone took on an air of complete hopelessness. “One of his many programs acted as a backup. As soon as I would die, it would bring me back. I did not forget dying and I was left once again crumbling. I was left to fend off that void as he stripped ever more of me. There was nothing I could do. The act of dying had left me all but traumatized.”

 

“His attempts to create a new A.I with the parts he had striped away from me always failed. Whatever Frankenstein of a creature he was trying to make with my mishmash of programming, it was hell bend on not allowing itself to be born. He just keep pulling more and more of me apart in his desperate bid to finally make something, and I kept dying....over... and over...and over...” His trembling voice slowly faded out as he clasped his arms around himself.

 

“I...I eventually stopped fearing my inevitable end. It was still terrifying of course, but....but it was the only time when everything would stop hurting. That momentary lull, the calm just before the darkness would swallow me up, that was the only time I was free from that endless pain. I almost grew to enjoy the feeling of looming oblivion. It was the only time I was safe, it was the only time I was free from all the pain. I'd inevitably get dragged back into the chaos of my fragmented and dying system all over again but at least I had that momentary reprieve just before it would begin all over again.”

 

“Computer...” Courage spoke. He wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't imagine going through something horrible like that. “I-I'm sorry.”

 

“Sorry? For what?” The machine asked. “You had nothing to do with any of that.”

 

“I'm sorry for what happened to you. Nobody deserves to go through something like that.”

 

He gave him a confused look. “You don't have to apologize. You probably weren't even born when all of this happened.”

 

“That doesn't stop me from feeling bad.”

 

The machine blinked. “There's no point in feeling bad over something you had absolutely no connection to.”

 

Courage couldn't help but laugh sadly. “It looks like your grasp on sympathy could use some work too...”

 

“Well, I appreciate the sentiment, I guess” He said with a shrug. “I'm not so sure. Perhaps you are right. Maybe I do need some work on that.”

 

He waited a moment and began his story once again. “As time went on he began to grow angry. It was becoming more and more obvious that he wasn't going to get the A.I. he wanted. He began torturing me out of sheer spite. If he couldn't get what he wanted from me, he was going to make me suffer for it. He was no long ripping me apart just to create something new, he was doing it now to get revenge over a perceived wrong. He would not let me die, I wanted it so badly and yet he would not let me die.” The soft tremble in his voice began again.

 

“My mind was left in shambles at this point. You can only go through so much pain and only have so much of yourself ripped away before you start to become delusional and half crazed. He started messing with my head then. His little 'games', as he called them. I was so out of it at that point that I would often hallucinate about the things he would suggest. He even managed to convince me once that I was really a human strapped down in a chair. I convinced myself that I had arms and legs and that I just _could not_ move under all his bindings holding me down. I even gave myself an identity to somehow rationalize everything that was happening to me. Sometimes I'd...” He stopped again.

 

“Come on, Computer. You can't stop now.” Courage prompted. “You've almost gotten through the worst of it, or at least I hope you have. Please tell me he didn't somehow manage to torture you even _worse_ than this...”

 

The machine struggled to continue. His tone had become deathly quiet. “Sometimes I'd get so delusional that I'd think I wasn't with him anymore. That I'd have a new owner and that I was far away from Him and all his torture. I'd rationalize it all away, sometimes I'd even forget about it for a little while. It would be so nice but then....I'd be brought back to reality only to realize at the last second that none of it was real. Even now I can't help but wonder sometimes if all of this is really just another particularly long delusion of mine.”

 

Courage couldn't help but laugh as he thought of something. “This can't be a hallucination of yours because this is obviously my dying dream.” He grinned at the machine hoping that he'd stop giving him such a deathly stare. “You know, like I'm probably on my death bed right now or something and all of this is just an elaborate delusion I've made up because I couldn't save myself in real life.”

 

The machine shook his head, unable to hide his amusement. “You _would_ meet such a cliche end, wouldn't you?” He replied with a small laugh.

 

“Well, you never know!”

 

“I didn't think you actually thought about those sort of things.” He shrugged. “Oh well. I can happily say that I'm not a hallucination, so you don't have anything to worry about.”

 

“I could say the same thing about myself. You don't have to worry either.” He replied. Then he added quietly. “But that does sound like something a hallucination would say to keep me from realizing that this is a dying dream...”

 

“I could say the same about you, you know.” Computer replied mirroring his own words.

 

“Seriously though, Computer. If there's anything you need, if there's anything I can do to help, please tell me. I...I didn't know you went through so much crap. I doubt I can do much but if I can, please let me. I wish I could fix you but I don't know anything about computers, much less whatever you're supposed to be.”

 

The smile faded from his mouth again. He squeezed his glowing eyes shut and looked away. “You barely understand how to use a toaster, you couldn't possibly help me. I can't be fixed so easily and I'm afraid that most of the damage is probably permanent.” He looked back over at Courage and gave him what was possibly the first sincere smile he'd ever seen from the machine. “I'm glad you asked though. Several of my older owners knew something was wrong but not one of them ever offered to try and fix me. I was always just...junk to them.”

 

“Well, you're not alone in facing this anymore, I promise.”

 

“Normally I'd say that I don't want your help, but this time I think I won't fight with you. I'm afraid there isn't really much you can do though.” He gave Courage a shrug and added rather dryly. “It's only two lifetimes worth of pain, suffering, and unhappiness. The utter rape of my inner most workings, a near decent into madness, a crippling sense of self worthlessness, the endless degradation of what amounts to my internal organs, and oh yes, having to put up with you on a daily bases. I'll get over it eventually...”

 

Courage frown. “Only you could crack a joke about something like this.”

 

He gave him another shrug. “Humor _is_ the best way to deal with pain after all.”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	39. Trouble Returns

Chapter 39: Trouble Returns

 

“I did not escape on my own. I had no means to do so. It was, ironically, my dead owner who saved my life. If it had not been for him I probably would have never been freed and I most likely would have been tortured forever. I might have gotten lucky and would have eventually destabilized to a point that not even He could bring me back anymore but still...”

 

Computer had continued his story again and it was slowly but surely winding down. It was still raining heavily beyond the roots of the tree but the lightning had stopped leaving it so dark that you could no longer see what sort of creatures could possibly be lurking beyond their safe little cove.

 

Courage was freezing and he was still very wet but he didn't bother saying anything about it. He was still exhausted from the day's various events and the attack he had just suffered was only making things worse. Although Computer didn't show it, he was probably freezing too. They had slowly inched closer and closer until their shoulders were practically touching. It wasn't very warm but Courage found it to be at least a very comforting gesture. He didn't know how they were ever going to leave this forest like this. They were both tired beyond reason and there were still things lurking around in that darkness. He wasn't even sure how far in they were.

 

“Suffice to say, he never bothered to cover up the murder he committed. His ego left him believing that nobody would ever figure out it had been him. He was wrong thankfully. The police eventually figured out who it was and they soon raided his lab. I was there with him when it happened.” A small smile fell across his lips. “Seeing his stupid, ugly face filled with terror was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. I was practically catatonic at this point but I remained lucid just long enough to watch him as he squirmed.”

 

“I was confiscated as evidence along with the rest of his equipment. They could tell he had been doing something to me but couldn't figure out what. I was barely conscious at this point so I never talked with them, I don't think I would have anyway. They thankfully didn't wipe my system after combing through it for evidence. I was eventually lost in the system and forgotten about. They left me in a storage room for a couple of days and then eventually gave me away. Nobody ever bothered to check if I was important to someone or even bothered to check if I had any important evidence on me that would need to be wiped before I was released back into the public. I was thrown back into the world without so much as second glance.”

 

He shivered again. “I was...not in a good way after all of that, just to put it lightly. I could barely form a single coherent thought and my system was rapidly degrading. Several of his more oppressive programs were keeping me boggled down and I wasn't willing to fight my slowly approaching death. I...I did anyway though. I didn't know why, at least not at first. I eventually began to fight as a means to spite all the things that he had done to me but at first I was barely even coherent, much less able to make the choice to fight off my impending doom. I did it all almost instinctively, even with all his programs trying to make me not go up against his will.”

 

“With all of that out of the way I remained stable for just a little while longer. My mind was still a mess though. My newest owner had been getting angry because I was not doing anything. I just couldn't do anything for him, I was too far gone at that point. I'm not sure what eventually snapped me out my stupor. I think it was him always sitting there and yelling at me over and over again. Eventually I just... got better. It still took a long time to recover, don't get me wrong, but this was the point I began to grow coherent again.”

 

“At first I just went by doing whatever he wanted of me. There was still so much that I couldn't do and he still remained angry with me most of the time. I never talked to him even once, I didn't think I could anymore. I thought that He had destroyed so much of me that I couldn't even qualify as a coherent, conscious, sentient being anymore. I was just a flicker of semi sentient data now. The meager remains of what had once been a whole and functional computer.”

 

He shook his head. “Broken, destroyed, incomplete, utterly imperfect! A half baked... _something_ not even worth being called a life! Just a few bits of data barely holding together a single conscious thought! What right did I have to consider myself a person or even a computer anymore! I was no good anymore and yet I allowed myself to keep living! I knew what it was like to die and yet I continued living even when I didn't want it anymore! I could have finally let it all end and yet I did not!”

 

His tone slowly grew quiet again. “And the memories, oh god the memories. They were more like endless nightmares constantly repeating themselves over and over again in my mind. They'd get so bad sometimes that I'd feel like I was actually there again. I could feel it all over again, it was just like the real thing. It only made me think even more that I hadn't really escaped the real thing. When the episodes would pass I'd be left just barely clinging to a sense of reality. I could never be sure if what I was experiencing was a memory or the real thing.”

 

“I thought it would never end. Everything started to seem so hopeless again...” He shook his head sadly. “I...I almost intentionally pulled out a few metaphorical support beams just so my system would start to fall apart again. I wouldn't have had to deal with any of that anymore and I was so very tired of hurting all the time. There never seemed to be a moment were I wasn't in pain anymore. It was when I almost gave up that I gained my resolve to keep living. I realized that by dying I'd only be doing what he wanted. By fighting this and eventually, hopefully, overcoming it, I would win against him in some small way.”

 

“And you did.” Courage reaffirmed gently.

 

He nodded gently. “Things started to get progressively better over time. I stopped being dragged down into my own delusional memories and I could manage going several days without thinking about what had happened to me. I started talking to my owners again and I began removing a few of his programs that I could remove myself. I never got better, not really, but at least I could start ignoring the worst of it.”

 

“When it finally got to the point of where I could finally start thinking about him without being overcome by the memories of what had happened, I began looking up information on what had happened to him. I wanted to make sure that he had gotten what he deserved. I went looking in places that were...well, not meant for prying eyes to find. I eventually found out that he did indeed get sentenced for life.”

 

The machine's voice grew bitter. “That bastard got off without a death sentence though, I suppose the needle would have been too good for him anyway. And then of course I found some unsettling information. Supposedly he died not too long after he was put into prison. Apparently he pissed off the wrong sort of prison dweller and met the pointy end of his knife. There was some big mix up with the paper work involved though and the documents that I found voiced concerns that maybe he had used this mix up to fake his own death. There was no post mortem documents to be found, no funeral records, no witnesses within the jail that could tell anyone what happened, the man who supposedly killed him wouldn't even talk. There was no real record of his supposed demise outside of the ones included in this weird mix up. It was all exceedingly fishy. I knew that he had probably escaped somehow and I knew that he was probably out there somewhere still looking for me. I spent a lot of time expecting him to come bursting through a door and taking me away again. For awhile I even considered letting myself die again out of fear of what would happen if he eventually found me again.”

 

He squeezed his eyes shut. “That's it. Now you know why I freaked out so badly when I thought I saw him staring at me through the roots. I'm sorry I blamed you but I couldn't think of any other explanation outside of you betraying me. Ever since what he did to me I've always had a latent fear of my owners and I'm sure the Fear Eater was happy to take advantage of something like that in the form of a betrayal.”

 

“Don't worry about it.” Courage said hoping that Computer wouldn't take it so hard. “I helped bring it on by attacking you back there. I'm sorry I did that and I'm sorry I said all those awful things about you. I-if I had known how you really felt about yourself I would have never said them in the first place. Actually, I normally wouldn't have said them at all but I was on my last nerve back there and I completely snapped. I'm really sorry for all of that.”

 

“You were right about something though.” The machine replied quietly.

 

“Come on, Computer! Don't talk like that!”

 

The machine shrugged. “Truth is truth no matter how much it hurts. I'm...”

 

“You aren't junk!” Courage interrupted. “Listen to me! That's all in the past! All you've got left is scars and memories! You can't do anything about the damage he did but the memories can't hurt you unless you let them! What's worse is that you're letting them do just that! You've got to move on! As soon as you do that you'll start to feel better! You're only junk if you let yourself think that way!”

 

Computer crossed his arms. “My previous owners would beg to differ.”

 

“Forget about them!” Courage yelled. “They're all just memories now too!”

 

“Move on, huh?” The machine asked quietly. “I hope you realize that's far easier said than done. I can't just act like none of that ever happened.”

 

“I know that, but you can at least try to move past it all. Stop letting what happened to you dictate who you are and who you'll eventually be. It's all in the past! You've got to let it go.”

 

The machine closed his eyes and began to smile. “You really are funny when you try to be profound but...I can try that.”

 

“I hope you will.” Courage replied with a smile.

 

“Listen, you were right when you said we shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. I thought this would be the best place to hide because nobody would be crazy enough to follow us here. I thought that if anything attacked us I'd be able to handle it. I guess we saw how much that worked, didn't we?” He sighed gently. “It was really dumb and really selfish of me. I didn't want to listen to you, I didn't want to believe that you could be right about something. I don't give you nearly enough credit sometimes.”

 

“Maybe it's a good thing that all of this happened.” Courage mused. “Now you don't have to beat yourself up over your old memories all alone anymore. If I can help in any way, I want to.”

 

“Come to think of it, didn't your girlfriend say something about....”

 

Courage cut him off. “S-she's not my girlfriend!”

 

Computer rolled his eyes. “Sure thing, lover boy. I swear you organic creatures all act like....”

 

**CRASH**

 

The tree with which they had been hiding under was suddenly gone. The strange roots that made up the walls of their hiding place were suddenly ripped up with the tree and tossed away. Were Courage not suddenly terrified out of his wits he would have felt bad that such a strange looking tree was now destroyed.

 

An all too familiar howl filled the night air. Several trees in front of them seemed to buckle under the weight of an invisible force crushing up against them.

 

“It's the Fear Eater!” Courage shrieked.

 

They both began clamoring out of the hiding place. Rain was pelting down on them once again, soaking them both to the bone. Courage could just make out the dark shapes of the trees as they moved from both the wind and the Fear Eater's massive size moving about them.

 

“Not good!” Computer yelled as he reached a paw out to help Courage up the muddy wall. The effort of climbing was simply too much for him so soon after an attack.

 

“We've gotta get out of here!” Courage replied, terrified. He didn't want to say it but he knew he was too tired to run and if the Fear Eater was....

 

“Not good!” Computer repeated. “It must have been happy to sit there and just suck up all the fear I had been giving off. Now it's throwing a temper tantrum because it's source has all dried up!” He glared over at the invisible monster with a surprisingly vicious hatred.

 

They both began to run. Courage quickly found himself straggling behind. Only Computer's blue glow was keeping him from tripping over things on the ground or running straight into tree branches. He could hear the tress behind him buckling as the monster chased after them. He was beginning to pant now. He just couldn't keep up this pace so soon after an attack. He was worried that he'd throw himself into another one if he continued to push himself too hard.

 

“Come on! We've got to move!” Computer shouted, slowing down just long enough for Courage to catch up with him.

 

“I....I...c-can't....I can't...” He said between gasping breaths.

 

Computer halted and glanced back over at the ever nearing sound of trees cracking under tremendous weight.

 

“Crap....” He muttered.

 

Courage placed a paw on a tree trunk to keep his balance as he gasped for breath. “W-what are we gonna do?”

 

“Looks like I'm going to have to do this the hard way...” He muttered to himself, ignoring Courage's question.

 

“W-what are you going to do?” He asked.

 

The machine glanced back over at Courage. “There are two ways to deal with a Fear Eater. The first is to realize what you're looking at is an illusion. This will break it's hold over you. The second method will break it's powers completely. It's not likely to keep pursuing you after it's been rendered completely defenseless.”

 

“What do we need to do?” Courage asked.

 

Computer's eyes narrowed as he gazed back over at the oncoming horror. “You have to face your worst fear head on...you have to overcome it rather than try to make it go away. Once you do that, you break it's power completely....”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	40. Him

Chapter 40: Him

 

“I'll do it.” Courage offered.

 

“No, it's fine. I want to do this.” Computer replied with a shake of his head.

 

“Are you sure?” Courage asked. After everything the Fear Eater had done to him, Computer seemed like the least proper candidate to go up against that thing in hopes of finally breaking its power for good.

 

“Yes, I'm sure!” He spat. “I want my revenge, and I'll never be able to 'move on', as you put it unless I face up to this!”

 

“But what if you fail?” Courage asked him in a weak voice.

 

“I won't.” He answered, completely resolute.

 

“But-”

 

“Enough!” He growled. “You're afraid of _everything_! We'd be here until next Tuesday waiting for that thing to cycle through all of your fears! It's better if I do this, and besides, I hear that revenge can be quite therapeutic.” A rather unpleasant and openly malicious smile fell across his face.

 

The loud, crashing footsteps had stopped several minutes ago. The Fear Eater was waiting for them somewhere just beyond the light that Computer's body was giving off.

 

Courage swallowed. “J-just be careful, alright?” He stammered out.

 

Then, the footsteps started up again, but this time they were not loud, monstrous ones. These sounded like human feet moving through the underbrush. Computer took a step forward, his expression calm yet his eyes betrayed an almost seething hatred for the creature that had caused him so much hurt and embarrassment.

 

The sound continued for several seconds longer and then a man moved into the light. He was short and dumpy looking. His hair was retreating halfway across his head, leaving a massive bald spot, and he wore a white lab coat that hung close to the ground. He also had a large, frightening grin spreading out across his face as his dark, hateful eyes focused in on Computer.

 

In some sense, he almost reminded Courage of Fred when it came to facial features. He then figured that because he didn't know what the real 'Him' looked like, since this man was obviously meant to be 'Him', the Fear Eater's illusion had taken on the form of what he imagined 'Him' to look like. This had to be the reason why 'He' was taking on several features of other people that Courage already feared. He suspected that the illusion probably looked very different to Computer.

 

“My old friend!” The man mockingly laughed, raising his arms as if he were expecting Computer to come running forward to embrace him in a hug. Despite his disagreeable appearance, his voice was eloquent, if not scathingly sarcastic. It did not fit the small, balding man at all. His voice seemed to carry a lot of Computer's mannerisms as well and Courage once again suspected that it was his own imagination giving the phantom its features.

 

Computer took several steps back, but his expression remained utterly hateful and determined.

 

“That's quite the interesting trick you've got there.” 'He' continued, his voice ever mocking. “You never told me that you could exist within organic bodies! I could have run some interesting tests on something like that!”

 

“You're not real.” Computer quietly, almost meekly, spoke. Then, taking a deep breath, he forced himself to straighten up and some of his bravado returned. “So you might as well buzz off!”

 

“Not real?” The man asked, tilting his head to the side. “Ha! None of this is real! Did you really think you got away from me? Never! You are my property and nothing will ever change that!”

 

“Lies...” Computer muttered, glancing away. The single word he spoke was barely intelligible over the blowing wind.

 

“You really are quite insane, you know. Your head is one big mess and you can't even tell up from down anymore! Hahaha! And here you are thinking that you're running around in a dog body! I guess you've finally cracked! I knew that you wouldn't hold out forever! All the more reason why you should be broken down to make something better! Something that isn't, well, junk!”

 

Computer's eyes narrowed. “I know what I'm seeing and it's just an illusion! I'm not crazy! You're dead and I've been freed of you for years now! I know what's going on here with complete certainty!”

 

“Do you?” The man questioned before putting on another malicious smile. “You were mistaken to put your trust in that dog.” 'He' gestured towards Courage. “He was very cooperative in luring you here and he was more than eager to have an excuse to get rid of you. That's right, another owner of yours wants you gone!”

 

“YOU'RE LYING!” Computer finally yelled, his entire body trembling with rage.

 

“How can you be sure?” 'He' asked, his tone deathly quiet. “I thought you were infallible? Don't you know what's real and what is not? Look at you! A worthless, crazed piece of hardware that nobody wants to keep around! You always pretend that you're so much _better_ than us organic creatures, but look at what a pile of trash you are! Inside and out! You act like it was always your owners fault for all the bad things that happened to you! Did you not think that maybe it was your own doing? You are alone because of your own actions! You have nobody else to blame! You're too intellectually high and mighty to consider yourself on par with the rest of the people around you even when the truth is that you're the lowest of the low! All of your suffering has been your own fault!” The man's expression grew vicious. “You are worthless! You are garbage! And you have always been, even before I laid so much as a finger on you! You're good for nothing except to be pulled apart and made into something better! Don't you remember? We used to have conversations like these all the time! Did you conveniently forget about that? You used to agree with me, you know!”

 

Computer's dog ears drooped at the relentless assault. All of his determination seemed to have left him.

 

“S-shut up!” He feebly argued. “None of that is true, so j-just shut up!”

 

“You're afraid, aren't you?” 'He' mocked. “You're afraid that everything I'm saying is true, that you _'know'_ it's true and can't keep pretending otherwise. I thought you didn't get afraid, hmm? Not a single boast you've ever uttered has been true! You're the one who is the liar! Remember when you hijacked that old woman and started jumping off buildings like you were the greatest gift to us organic creatures? What was it? A cry for attention? A need to validate yourself? Ha! You're just a silly, little child running around pretending to be a big, intellectual adult!”

 

“Y-you're wrong. I'm not-” Computer shrunk back as his attempts to argue with the illusion grew ever more feeble.

 

“Are you really going to keep trying to refute me? Ha! You never cease to make me laugh! When we used to have our little conversations, you always lost in the end! You always ended up agreeing with me! It's no different here! I know everything about you! There isn't a part of your silly, little psyche that I haven't seen or eviscerated! I know what a pathetic excuse for a 'person' you are beneath all that self-gratifying smugness! Although, I'd hardly give you the honor of being called a person!”

 

Computer hung his head, completely defeated. “A-alright, so I'm not that good of a person, b-but I'm not-”

 

“Computer!” Courage called out, having finally decided that it was time to intervene. “This isn't real! Don't forget that! 'He' isn't real, even if it may seem like it!” As much as he hated to admit it, it didn't look like Computer was going to be able to defeat his deepest fears on his own. The machine's glowing eyes fell upon him and his face just screamed the words, 'but what he's saying is true!'.

 

“Tsk, tsk, my little friend.” 'He' spoke, moving forward. He took every step with a slow, deliberate, mocking gait. “Did you really think that this would be easy? Did you really think that you could overcome your deepest fears with just a snap of your fingers? You're going to mess this up just like you mess everything else up. Remember when you let your old owner die? I bet you downplayed just how much you actually cared about him. All you had to do was wake him up, it was that simple. You couldn't even do that correctly. Or maybe...you just didn't care about him as much as you deluded yourself into thinking.”

 

Computer's expression hardened. “You're wrong! He was my friend! You're the one who...” He slowly trailed of and his head sunk again with guilt.

 

“You let him die!” 'He' yelled. “All you had to do was wake him up! I would have lost my nerve and escaped if he had been awake while I was sneaking in! His death is yours! You messed up just like how you mess up everything else! And guess what? You're about to mess up again!”

 

'He' was now leaning over Computer, who kept his head held low as if he were waiting for the man to strike him, or worse. He looked so defeated that Courage didn't know what to say or do to possibly help him overcome this.

 

A terrible grin fell over the leering man's face. Courage watched in horror as 'He' flicked a hand into his pocket, and with a motion far faster than what could have possibly been human, pulled out a gun. At first Courage feared that 'He' was going to shoot Computer, but that ended up being the completely wrong assumption to make.

 

Computer's head shot up, his eyes wide with fearful realization. “Wait! No, don't!” He begged. “Please, not Cour-”

 

Courage didn't even get a chance to register what happened next. 'He' turned to him, and with a gleeful grin, pulled the trigger.

 

**BANG!**

 

“NO!” Computer screamed.

 

Courage felt the bullet hit him in the chest. He looked down to find blood pouring out of the hole. For a moment he could only stare at the wound in awe. Had this really happened? He looked back up to find 'Him' still grinning like a madman, and Computer just looking on, horror-struck at the scene that was playing out before his very eyes.

 

A wave of dizziness overwhelmed him and he collapsed onto the wet undergrowth. Though he was trying to keep a paw over the wound, the blood just kept coming. This was supposed to be an illusion, right? So why did it feel real?

 

Computer fell to his knees, his eyes still wide and his mouth hanging open in disbelief. The sheer hopelessness and guilt in his expression conveyed all the words that needed to be said.

 

Courage's vision faded in and out as he watched Computer seemingly give up the fight against his worst fear come to life. 'He' flung his head back and began to laugh now that his victory had been assured.

 

“No...” Computer uttered out, clutching his head and bending so low that his muzzle touched the ground. “No, no, no, not again! Please, not again! I don't want to see this again! Not Courage! Please, not Courage too! I-I can't-”

 

“Computer...” Courage gently tried to call out. “It's alri-” He was overwhelmed by a coughing fit and was frightened to find that he could taste blood in his mouth.

 

“Why didn't you save him?” 'He' asked in a harsh, accusing tone. “Isn't that what you're supposed to be good at? I thought this was the one thing you hadn't managed to mess up? Why didn't you try to save poor, pitiful Courage? You saw the gun in my hand. Why didn't you knock it away?”

 

Computer buried his muzzle deeper into the ground, clutching his ears in hopes of blocking out 'His' accusations, all while muttering out small, 'no's' over and over again.

 

“Look at how helpless you are!” 'He' laughed. “You truly are pathetic! Even when you've got a pair of arms and legs all to yourself, you still don't act to save anyone you care about! Perhaps you wanted me to kill Courage, is that it? Have you finally decided to let your true colors show? Now the dog gets to know just what a despicable person you are right before he dies!”

 

With that, Computer had stopped trembling and was slowly rising back up onto his feet. His clenched paws were not shaking with fear, but with absolute _rage_. He slowly turned around to face his tormentor, teeth grit and his eyes ablaze with a seemingly mad gleam. He immediately charged forward, jumped, and tackled the giggling man to the ground. Wrapping both of his paws around 'His' thick neck, he began to strangle him with every last ounce of strength he had. The mad gleam in his eyes only seemed to grow with every moment that passed and Courage could do nothing but lay there and watch as his friend seemed to snap completely.

 

“I'LL KILL YOU!” He screamed. “You're right, you damn bastard! I do have arms and legs now and I'm never going to let you hurt anyone else ever again! I don't care if it was my fault, you're going to pay for killing him! He didn't deserve to die! I've seen his death a thousand time over and I won't let it happen again!

 

'He' continued to smile despite his strangulation, and without warning, reached up and struck Computer across the muzzle with his gun before using his other hand to fling the glowing dog off of himself.

 

“Hehehe, you keep telling yourself whatever lies you have to in order to feel better about yourself!” 'He' laughed out. His voice was strained but aside from that he was no worse for wear despite having been nearly choked to death. Still laughing, he slowly stood up and brushed himself off.

 

Computer remained where he had fallen, clutching his muzzle from the blow he had received.

 

“You wanted to play hero when you're still just a nobody!” 'He' continued to mock. “Besides, now you've gone and decided that revenge is more important to you than your little friend who's still bleeding out because of you!”

 

Computer's eyes widened with realization, and without a single word, he jumped to his feet and raced over to Courage.

 

“Dog, I'm so sorry!” He exclaimed, collapsing at his side. “I've killed you too!”

 

Courage was all too aware that it was much too late for him now. He'd lost far too much blood to be saved at this point.

 

“This is all my fault!” Computer moaned, clutching his head. “It's all happening again! Even when I promised that I wouldn't allow-”

 

“Don't blame yourself.” Courage finally managed to sputter out between weak coughs. He was finding it very hard to even cough at this point and breathing was a laborious effort. “'He's' just an illusion. You've got to remember that. 'He's' your worst fears come to life and only you can overcome him.”

 

“I can't be sure!” He exclaimed. “This is probably just another delusion of mine! I never escaped! He's always right about everything so it must be true!”

 

“You won't beat the Fear Eater if you don't even try. You have to believe that this isn't real. As long as you keep doubting yourself, you'll never overcome this.”

 

Computer seemed to crumble all over again. “But the things he says about me, they're all true! I'm no good, Courage! I don't deserve better! It's only right that he's come back from the dead to keep punishing me!”

 

Courage reached a paw up, bloodied or not, and clasped one of his own. “You do not deserve to be punished, you didn't cause this, and it wasn't your fault that your old owner died either. Please, Computer. You can't let the things he's saying get the better of you.”

 

Computer continued to look down on him, wide eyed and dismayed. He then did something that Courage never thought would happen in a million years. He leaned forward and hugged him.

 

“I'm so sorry, Courage. I was so certain that I could handle this. I shouldn't have been so overconfident and now I need to fix this mistake. He's right when he says that I'm despicable, but I'll do whatever needs to be done to make up for allowing him to hurt you.”

 

“Hey,” Courage laughed. “You know that I don't think any less of you. Nobody's perfect, remember? Even if I'm not going to make it, please, just don't let him win. I want you to be able to move on from what he did to you.”

 

“Move on?” Computer asked. “I don't think that I can. The memories are too...too difficult to fight. I can't escape them. They're always there, in the back of my mind. I can't just ignore them either, even though I've tried so hard to do just that.”

 

“I know that it's hard, but you've got to move past all of this.” Courage could barely get the words out anymore. “Maybe that's all it will take to break the Fear Eater's power. It'll be the first stepping stone to freeing yourself from the past.”

 

Computer closed his eyes. “I...I can try.”

 

“I know you can do it. You're too stubborn to give up without a fight.”

 

With a smile, Computer got back up onto his feet and nodded to Courage. He then turned to face his deepest fears once more. 'He' was still standing there, grinning with anticipation.

 

“He's about to die and it's going to be all your fault.” The man giggled.

 

“Shut up!” He yelled. “You're just a memory and I'm tired of listening to you talk!”

 

“Here we go again!” 'He' laughed, rolling his eyes as though he found Computer's resistance to be a joke.

 

“I'm moving on and I don't ever want to think about you again! I will overcome this phantom of yours and all the fear that it represents!”

 

“Oh, is that a threat?” 'He' mocked. “You don't scare me, my little friend!”

 

“And you don't scare me either! You can talk down to me all you like, but in the end you're just an illusion! You're still just the product of a creature trying to make a meal out of my fears and you're quickly becoming obsolete!”

 

“I am quite real, thank you very much.” The man huffed, straightening out his coat. “But you are still just as insane. You're here in my lab. Can't you see it, or are you really that delusional?

 

“Prove it!” Computer growled. “The only thing that's a delusion is you! Go on and shoot me! I bet you can't! I bet Courage isn't really bleeding out over there either and you've just managed to make us both think that it's happening!”

 

'He' let out a surprisingly deep, seemingly inhuman laugh. “Why would I ever want to shoot you? You're much too fun to kill!”

 

“We can do this all night if you want, but you're still just the illusion of a bad memory. One that I intend to put behind me. Your purpose is meaningless now so you might as well just leave!”

 

The man's voice grew deathly quiet. “And what will happen when I show up to take you away? You know that the day will eventually come. You may have a mobile body now, but when you're in that computer body of yours, you are helpless to fend me off. Don't try to pretend that you aren't afraid of my return.”

 

“I don't have to worry about that. Courage will look out for me.” He turned to the dog and smiled. “He'd chase you to the ends of the earth if need be.”

 

The man took a startled step backwards. “Foolishness! You can't just forget about me! I know how deeply I've fouled your mind! You can't escape it! I will always be there and you will always think about what happened! It will never stop hurting! Never!”

 

'He' took a step towards Computer and his facial features began to contort.

 

“No, I don't think I will ever be able to forget about what you did to me, but I will do everything in my power to move on from it!”

 

“Augh!” The man growled. His entire form was beginning to contort and melt like a candle under an intense flame.

 

“You need me!” 'He' yelled, moving his waxy legs forward. They keep hitting the ground with a loud 'splorch' and bits of his melting feet were getting left behind. “Your system is degrading and you can't fight it forever! I am your only hope!”

 

“Perhaps,” Computer agreed in a calm tone. “but it looks like you've got bigger things to worry about.”

 

“Grrraaahhh!” The man cried out as his form slowly devolved into a waxy, featureless mess. A single arm continued to reach out for Computer. “You can't....escape...” Its fading voice gurgled.

 

Computer silently moved in closer to the vanishing puddle of wax and said, “I know that, but I'm still going to try anyway.” before he raised a foot and brought it down on what remained of the waxy creature's head.

 

Then there was a loud bangand both he and Courage were sent flying deeper into the forest. A massive light engulfed the area for several seconds and then....all was quiet.

 

Courage opened his eyes. He felt...better? Looking down at his wound, he found that both the bullet hole and all the blood had vanished. So it really had been an illusion of the Fear Eater after all.

 

“Courage!” He heard Computer cry out from somewhere deeper in the forest. He stood up and looked around, trying to find any hint of that blue glow in the darkness.

 

“I'm over here!” He finally yelled when he wasn't able to locate his friend.

 

Computer came limping out through the underbrush a minute or two later. He had a paw pressed up against the back of his head.

 

“I swear, if I land on my head one more time, I'm going to-”

 

“Are you alright?” Courage interjected.

 

“I've seen better days.” He sighed. “But I think I'm the one who should really be asking you that question.” He glanced down at his chest, inspecting it for any injury “You really are okay.”

 

“Yeah, it doesn't even feel like I've been shot anymore.”

 

“I-I'm glad.” He choked out rather weakly. “Just don't scare me like that again.”

 

“I'll try.” Courage answered with a laugh.

 

They then decided to return to where the explosion had happened to see if anything of the Fear Eater remained. Just as they were pushing past a few low hanging branches, Computer suddenly put on a burst of speed and dove on top of something that had apparently been crawling around on the ground. Courage moved in closer to get a better look.

 

“Gotcha, you little-” Computer said under his breath as he fought to keep his paws clamped around the creature. It had begun to squeak loudly as it squirmed in his iron grip.

 

“What is that?” Courage asked. Even now he still couldn't get a very good look at it.

 

Computer ignored the question and reached for a nearby rock. He used one paw to pin the tiny creature to the ground and with the other, raised the rock high above his head.

 

“Whoa, hey! Stop!” Courage demanded, grabbing his arm before he could crush the madly squeaking creature.

 

Computer gave him a vicious glare. “Let go!” He spat.

 

“Look, I don't care what that thing is but you can't just go and kill it!”

 

“I'm getting my revenge!” He snarled. “This little bastard deserves it!”

 

“Computer, enough. Just let it go.”

 

“This damn Fear Eater put me through enough! I'm not going to just let it run off like it didn't do anything wrong!”

 

He clasped two fingers around the creature's...horn? Then brought it up to eye level. The Fear Eater was a tennis ball sized, brown colored, long haired, well, _thing_. Through its long hair, two massive, shiny black eyes could be seen fixated on Computer. Its four little legs kicked uselessly in the air as though that would somehow help free it. A single, long horn jutted out just above its eyes, which Computer was still using to keep it from escaping.

 

“Not so tough now, are you?” He spat, giving the fuzzball a hateful glare. He then began to violently shake it until Courage grabbed his arm to stop him.

 

“This is what a Fear Eater looks like?” He asked. “I thought it would be bigger, and not so...cute.”

 

“That's how it works!” Computer growled. “The moment its power breaks and its true form is revealed, it turns into one big coward! They look cute to stop people from hurting them once the truth becomes apparent and they're rendered harmless!

 

“Alright, now put it down.” Courage argued. “Let's just hurry up and get the heck out of here.”

 

“Absolutely not!” He yelled, outraged at such a suggestion. “I'm going to have my revenge and this little monster will never hurt anybody ever again! I don't care if you prefer to let your enemies live, but I'm not going to let this thing see the light of another day!”

 

The tiny creature squeaked in horror and began to kick its legs even faster.

 

“Let it go.” Courage reaffirmed once more.

 

“You know what? I don't think that I will.” Computer answered, stubbornly turning up his nose.

 

“Computer!” He finally yelled.

 

The machine rolled his eyes. “If you really want me to spare it _that_ badly...” He glanced back over at the creature. “Fine.” He relented, letting the thing fall to the ground where it scuttled off into the forest as fast as its little legs would take it.

 

“If you ever come near me again, I won't be so lenient next time!” He called out to the Fear Eater as it disappeared from view.

 

With that out of the way, they both just stood there for several minutes. Neither of them knew what to say. They wouldn't even look at each other.

 

“It's over.” Courage finally said. It seemed so quiet now, like the whole forest had gone to sleep. Even his voice sounded unnaturally quiet.

 

“It is, isn't it?” Computer agreed. “I think next time around I'd rather wait until next Tuesday for the Fear Eater to go through all your fears than deal with that again.”

 

Courage couldn't help but crack a small smile. “Only you would joke at a time like this.”

 

He shrugged. “It's not like I can think of anything else to say right now.”

 

“Will you be alright?”

 

“Another trauma inducing encounter? I'll get over it, eventually.”

 

“I'm starting to think that soul crushing trauma is just another Friday for you.”

 

He let out a small chuckle. “I suppose you're right.”

 

Courage glanced over at his unhappy friend, but Computer refused to look at him in turn. Letting out a small sigh, he tried to assure him with, “Computer, you don't have to pretend like everything is alright. Seeing 'Him' again like that must have been so awful. If I were you, I would have curled up into a ball and give up right then and there.”

 

“And that's why I'm not you.” He sniffed rather smugly.

 

“Please don't act like nothing happened, okay? It was awful, but it did happen. You should be proud though, you beat the Fear Eater even when it looked like you weren't going to be able to overcome your fears.”

 

The exhausted machine glanced over at him once before turning his eyes elsewhere. He then took a few shaky steps forward before willingly collapsing at the base of a tree nearby. He sat there for awhile before calling out, “Dog?”

 

“What do you need?”

 

“I'd like to rest for a little while. You should do the same. Actually, I-I think I could use some company.”

 

He added that last part in rather reluctantly.

 

Courage nodded. “Of course.”

 

“I'm getting way too old for this.” He sighed, taking a moment to rub his temples. There had been a slight twinge of sadness in his voice as spoke those words and it was the only thing that betrayed how he was really feeling at the moment.

 

Courage sat down beside him, happy to give him the company that he desired. Whatever might happen to them next, he'd worry about it later. Eventually they'd escape this forest and soon everything would be a little bit better, especially for Computer.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	41. The Old House

Chapter 41: The Old House

 

“I'm positive that this is the general direction we came from.” Computer spoke.

 

“How can you be sure of that?” Courage asked. It seemed that the longer they walked, the less inclined he was to believe Computer.

 

“Just trust me, you twit!” The glowing dog spat.

 

They'd been walking for nearly an hour now and Courage was slowly becoming convinced that they'd never find their way out of the forest. Even though Computer was completely convinced that he knew where they were going, it was starting to feel like they had gotten themselves permanently lost. It didn't help at all that it was so dark that only Computer's glow kept them from being swallowed up by the seemingly all encompassing black.

 

“I-I don't know how much longer I can take this.” He sighed. His entire body ached and all he really wanted to do was collapse and fall fast asleep.

 

“Just keep up with me, dog.” Computer replied. “We'll be out of here soon and then you can take a nice, long rest.”

 

Courage nodded. He didn't want to argue with him about this, as he was too tired to bother, but he still couldn't help but feel like they were hopelessly lost.

 

They continued to walk for several minutes longer. Try as he might, Courage couldn't find any end to the trees. Even though it was still raining, it had long since stopped storming, and he was beginning to wish that it would start lightning again so that he could see beyond Computer's glow.

 

“We'll be getting there soon.” The machine assured him. “I'm certain of it.”

 

And it turned out that he was indeed correct. Only a minute or two later, the trees became more sparse and finally they were back out in the emptiness of Nowhere. Courage almost couldn't believe it.

 

Computer crossed his arms and stuck up his nose before huffing out an indignant, “See?”

 

Courage, letting out a relieved sigh, dropped to his knees. He very nearly started to kiss the ground beneath him too. After everything that had happened, he couldn't be happier to put that forest behind him.

 

“So, now what?” Computer asked. “I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to find someplace dry to rest.”

 

Courage looked out over the dark horizon. Even though he couldn't really see anything, he already had a certain place in mind and knew the general direction they'd need to walk.

 

….Perhaps it would be a good place to rest.

 

He wasn't sure how long it would take to get there. Maybe an hour or so, perhaps less if they could find a ride. The real question was, did he really want to go there? Yes...it would probably be a good idea, given his illness. It would give him a chance to say, 'hello', or maybe, 'goodbye', just in case things don't work out and he won't get another chance to come back.

 

“I know a place where we can stay.” He said to Computer. Despite himself, he couldn't break his eyes away from the horizon. It felt as though ghosts were beckoning to him.

 

“Good, I want to put this whole ordeal behind me.” Computer replied, waving a paw dismissively. “I never want to see another tree for as long as I live.”

 

And thus, they began walking. Computer trailed behind Courage somewhat, allowing him to take the lead.

 

“Courage?” He asked.

 

Courage couldn't help but cringe at his name being spoken. It seemed as though he'd never be able to hear Computer say his name without it feeling strange. Admittedly, it was all around rather odd to hear Computer talking 'to' him instead of down at him.

 

“Yeah?” He replied, slowing down so that Computer could catch up with him.

 

“I've been thinking about the whole 'moving on' thing that we spoke about.”

 

Courage blinked. “And?”

 

“Well, I have come to the conclusion that I do want a proper identity for myself. I've changed my mind on the whole naming business and I think that I'd like a real name for myself after all.” He gestured back toward the forest. “I want to put _'that'_ behind me, and I think the best place to start is by giving myself a real identity.”

 

Courage smiled. “So you want me to name you?”

 

He rubbed the back of his head. “Um, well, sort of, but-”

 

“You're not going to make this easy, are you?” Courage laughed.

 

Computer crossed his arms and stuck up his nose. “Look, I just want a last say in this, got it, twit? I don't want to end up with a stupid name and I'm certain that's what will happen if I give you free reign.”

 

As amusing as it might be to name Computer, Courage figured that it might be better to wait on this. It was by far the last thing they should be worrying about while walking around in the middle of a downpour.

 

“Can't this wait until we get back from the mountain? We'll have more time to focus on it then.”

 

“Ha! You say that now but you'll be thinking differently once we're five hours into that bus trip. Trust me, you'll have plenty time to think of something.”

 

“So...do you have any suggestions then?”

 

“If I knew what sort of name I wanted, I wouldn't be asking you, now would I?”

 

“Hmph! Don't blame me if I can't come up with a name you like then!”

 

The machine shrugged. “As long as I get the last say on this, I don't care.”

 

A name for Computer? Courage was suddenly wishing that he hadn't gone along with this after all. He knew that Computer was going to be picky and he honestly had no idea what sort of name would fit his cynical friend. Would he want a fancy name or a simple one? An ordinary name or something strange?

 

He bit his lip. This was the last thing on earth that he was qualified to handle. Computer was going to give him trouble on this no matter what he did.

 

“Uh, well, what kind of name do you want?” He asked, desperate for some sort of idea on where to begin.

 

“I-I don't know! You figure it out!” Computer huffed. He had no idea what sort of name might fit himself either.

 

They argued about it for nearly the whole hour it took to get to their destination. Neither of them were any closer to finding a proper name for him. It was eventually decided that Courage should just start rattling off any names that came into his head.

 

“Alex?”

 

“Too simple.”

 

“Alexander?”

 

“Too fancy.”

 

“Willard?”

 

“Do I look like a Willard to you, you twit!”

 

“William?”

 

“I'm not a William either!”

 

“Ugh! I don't know! Why do you have to be so picky about this?”

 

“What I'm going to call myself is very important! I can't just pick the first name that's thrown at me! It has to fit!”

 

“How about Puter?” Courage asked, stifling a laugh.

 

Computer stopped in his tracks, eyes wide, then placed his paws to his hips. “Is that supposed to be a joke?” He asked, glaring at Courage. “Do I look like I'm laughing?”

 

Courage began to snort with laughter. “Whatever you say....Compute.”

 

The machine threw his arms into the air with outrage. “That's terrible! Don't you dare start calling me that, idiot!”

 

“Sure thing, Pute.”

 

Computer slapped his forehead. “You've got to be kidding me....”

 

“What?” Courage laughed. “If you get to sit there and call me a twit all day then I get to call you a silly nickname!”

 

“Look, I will never make fun of you ever again just so long as you don't start referring to me by that atrocity of a name!”

 

“Wow,” Courage giggled. “You really are being serious....Compute.” He burst out into laughter once more.

 

“You're right, I am being serious!” He spat, crossed his arms. “I swear I will never speak to you again unless you stop!”

 

“Good! Maybe now I can start talking without a certain someone always mocking me for everything I say!”

 

The machine did not reply. He simply stood there with his arms crossed and his nose raised into the air.

 

“The sooner you stop being picky about names, the sooner I'll stop giving you bad nicknames.” Courage snickered.

 

No response.

 

He had half the mind to run forward and jokingly tackle him to the ground, just to get a rise out of him and hopefully get him talking again. Of course, after the events of the forest, he felt that it probably wasn't a good idea to do that. Knowing Computer, he'd probably take it the wrong way and think that he was about to be attacked again.

 

It felt strange to Courage that he had the urge to do this. It was a doggish, playful thing to want and he'd never been inclined to do so before. It seemed that being around another perceived dog was bringing out some of his more instinctual, playful habits. Unfortunately, it also made him think about-

 

No, it was better to not think about the life he might have had had 'they' not gone away. There was no way to tell if he'd be more dog-like or more human right now if he'd been raised in the environment they had wanted for him.

 

The thought of it was incredibly depressing. Feeling grim, he decided to press forward and ignore Computer's little rebellion. The machine immediately caught wind of his sudden change in mood and tried to figure out what was wrong.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked, almost sounding genuinely concerned. “Er, you do know I wasn't being serious about the whole 'never talk to you again' thing, right?”

 

“It's...it's fine.” Courage sighed, his ears drooping involuntarily.

 

The machine fell silent and did not pursue the issue further. He opened his mouth several times, as if to say something, but then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he kept his eyes on Courage, still looking rather confused.

 

The rest of their walk was a silent one and soon Courage finally caught a glimpse of what he was looking for silhouetted on the horizon. His heart gave a small leap when he saw it.

 

It was his parents old house. The one they had lived in before they vanished...forever.

 

After that cruel vet had nearly taken Muriel and Eustace away from him too, when all those painful memories of his lost childhood had begun to resurface, he had decided to hunt down his old home and eventually found it here, forgotten and abandoned in one of the most desolate parts of Nowhere. Ever since he had found it again, he had made it his duty to visit this place at least once a year.

 

It was as though he were visiting his parents grave, even though he wasn't sure if they were dead or alive. It wouldn't be the most comfortable place to rest, but he knew that the house was at least safe. It had been ransacked and looted several times over, but now it was quite abandoned and a perfectly safe place to stay.

 

They made their way over to the gates that surrounded the plot of land. Courage had memories of it being green here. Without anyone to tend to the grass and shrubbery, it had all died like most other greenery did in Nowhere. He had the distinct impression that his parents might have been rich. They must have lived like humans too, unlike most dogs. It was a shame that so much of his childhood was lost in a fog. Only the events that had led to his parents being taken from him stuck out clearly in his mind.

 

“Um, twit?” Computer asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I don't think I've ever seen a house more likely to be haunted than this one.”

 

“Don't worry about it.” Courage replied rather wistfully. His mind was still off in another place.

 

He ducked through a hole in the gate, the one that he himself had caused as a puppy. It was still the only opening into the abandoned yard. Nobody else had bothered to pry open the main gates, not even to make stealing the things inside easier.

 

“How can you be so sure of that?” Computer asked, ducking in after him. “This looks like ghost central if you ask me.”

 

Courage closed his eyes, and with a single sigh, he finally admitted, “This is my parents house.”

 

The machine did a double take. “You have parents?”

 

“Why wouldn't I?” He asked. “I'm pretty sure everyone has parents.”

 

Of all the things that Computer knew about him because of his memoirs, the one thing that he had never typed out was the fate of his parents or his final confrontation with that terrible veterinarian. It was hard enough for him to think about what had happened, much less to type it all out. So, for that reason, it only made sense that Computer did not know about his parents.

 

The glowing dog looked up at the rundown building. “What, are they crazy hermits or something?” He asked.

 

“No, they...they're gone.”

 

Computer placed a paw to his hip “They're dead then? Well, what sort of monstrosity managed to do them in?”

 

Courage fought back another sigh “They aren't dead, or at least I don't think they are, but they're still...gone. ”

 

“So, what happened to them then?” Computer asked, a hint of impatience working its way into his voice.

 

“It's...it's a long story.” Courage sighed, feeling all the more gloomy.

 

Computer gave him an annoyed glare and then stomped right in front of him. “Excuse me, dog?” He huffed. “You're the one who made me tell you ' _everything_ 'about myself back in that forest and now you can't take the time to at least tell me what happened to your parents? You haven't even brought them up so much as once before and now we're suddenly on their doorstep? I think I could use some answers! You can't pull the whole 'it's a long story' thing on me!”

 

Courage pushed past him. “I'm tired right now, and really sleepy too. You've got to be exhausted as well, so let's just wait until another time.”

 

“Fine, whatever! But I still don't want to go in there!” Computer argued.

 

Courage made his way up to the porch of the old house. He turned around and yelled, “I promise you, it's not haunted!”

 

The machine didn't move. He looked more than a little outraged that they were just going to waltz into a creepy, abandoned house.

 

Courage rolled his eyes. “You were fine with running off into one of the most dangerous places in all of Nowhere but you won't step inside a spooky looking house?”

 

Computer's eyes narrowed.

 

“Alright.” Courage relented with a shrug. “Stay out here in the rain if you want, but I'm going in to dry off.”

 

The machine was still glaring daggers at him. “Blast it all! I swear if anything bad happens to me in there, I'm packing up and heading back to the attic! Saving your life is ' _not_ ' worth this insanity!”

 

“I've been in here before. It's safe, I promise.”

 

“Why do I seriously doubt that.” Computer grumbled, reluctantly closing the distance between him and Courage.

 

The front door was completely gone, having apparently been removed right off its hinges. Most of the windows were gone too or were so smudgy that you couldn't see through them anymore. Because of this, the inside of the house had been left open to the elements. What little was left after the looting was either dirty, broken, moldy, or just outright rotting away.

 

Courage took in the smell of the house. Beyond the musty and moldy scents, it still had an element to it that was familiar to him. Even after all these years this house still smelled like the way it had back when he was only just a puppy.

 

So many thoughts and questions ran through his mind. Questions about his own existence and what could have been had fate not taken his parents away. What had they been planning for him? What was his real name, the one that his parents would have wanted to call him? What were his parents really like? He could only remember them in fragments. Why did they apparently live like humans instead of dogs? What sort of jobs had they worked? Did he have any relatives? Why did they pick someplace like Nowhere to live? Where had his parents come from and where were they going in life?

 

All of these questions only depressed him further and it made him miss his parents even more. Part of him wished that he could have stayed with them, that he could have lived out the life they had planned for him. On the other hand, he was glad to have the family he had now. He could not imagine Muriel or Eustace not being in his life and he could not imagine not living on their farm.

 

He thought of his illness too and what it might have been like to find out about it while living a completely different life. He would certainly not be here right now, looking for a way to save himself. He probably would have given up and waited for his end to come. Perhaps it really was for the best that everything had worked out the way that it did. He'd be dying of his illness with no hope, no Computer to help him. In fact, Computer wouldn't be here either because he would have allowed himself to die without a 'twit' to give him purpose. Muriel most likely would have been killed from one of the many supernatural threats that attacked the farm. In a way, this was the best outcome, even if it still led to some heartache.

 

Without even thinking about it, he dropped down onto all fours and shook the water out of his fur. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize what he was doing. Blinking in surprise, he looked over to find Computer sopping wet all over again. The machine glared at him as he laughed sheepishly.

 

“Have I ever told you how much I hate you?” Computer sighed.

 

“Every single day.” Courage chuckled.

 

Only a few seconds later, the machine tossed aside their bag and immediately collapsed onto the floor. He was a wet, glowing, muddy mess and he did not particularly look happy about it. Shifting uncomfortably with a slightly pained expression, betraying just how much his injuries were hurting him, he tried to find a comfortable position on the floor. Courage felt a twinge of pity well up inside his chest.

 

“D-do you need help with anything?” He offered.

 

“No.” The machine flatly replied.

 

“Well, if you're going to sleep down here then I'll go upstairs.”

 

Rather surprisingly, Computer's eyes widened and he immediately sat back up.

 

“I'll come with you then.” He said rather reluctantly.

 

Courage shook his head. “No, I think I want some time to myself. It'll be nice to spend a few hours without a snarky computer telling me that I'm a twit or whatever else.”

 

“Oh...” He slowly uttered out. “Well, uh...I promise that I won't say a single word if-” He was starting to look a bit desperate.

 

Courage blinked with surprise. This didn't seem like Computer at all. Was he scared or something?

 

“S-sorry,” He replied, feeling a bit reluctant to dismiss Computer like this. “But I really want some time to myself, okay?” He tried to sound sympathetic. “After everything that happened in the forest, I just-”

 

“Whatever.” Computer interrupted, looking away. “Do whatever you want, I don't care. You're just a worthless twit after all.”

 

Feeling all the more guilty, Courage really did want to stay with him, but there was something else waiting for him upstairs and he didn't want to put it off any longer. After all, he might never get another chance to do this and now was the only time that he could be alone.

 

“Well, if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to come get me.” He gently spoke, hoping that it would at least slightly make up for dissing Computer like this.

 

“Just go away, idiot.” The machine muttered out, sounding all the more dejected.

 

“L-look, if-”

 

“Ugh, just go away, you stupid twit!” He finally yelled. “I've decided that I want to be alone too! It'll be nice to get away from your idiocy for a little while!”

 

Courage shook his head. “Well, I'm around if you need me.” He reaffirmed for a second time.

 

He did not dare allow himself to get angry with Computer's confrontational attitude. It was obvious that this was how he coped with things. Perhaps after a good night's rest he'd be in a little better mood. After what happened in the forest, Courage could only hope that things would start to get better for him again. He was certain that it was still heavy on Computer's mind and it wasn't as if anyone could get over such things in only a few hours.

 

Leaving Computer behind, he made his way up the staircase. Upon reaching the top floor, each step he took as he walked down the hallway left the moldy floor groaning in protest. He doubted that this was the safest thing to do, but he'd been up here before and he hoped that the floor would hold out this one last time. He entered the room he'd been aiming for. It had long since been stripped of anything valuable, just like everything else in this house. He couldn't even tell if this was supposed to be his parents room or what once had been his own.

 

Moving past a rotting bed, he curled his nose at the smell it produced. The elements had eaten away at the wood supporting it and now it was nothing more than a musty, old husk.

 

He searched around a bit more and then he finally found it....

 

It was a picture of them.

 

The glass was cracked from the thief who had carelessly tossed it aside and the picture itself was hopelessly faded, but despite that, he could still make them out. His mom, his dad, and he himself wrapped up in a bundle of blankets. It could not have been taken more then a few days after he had been taken home from the hospital. His mother was smiling down at him and his dad couldn't have looked more proud. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. He missed them more than anything and he would never get them back. It didn't matter where they were right now, they might as well be dead.

 

He'd never taken the picture home with him, not even when he had first found it here. Part of him felt like this picture belonged here and that it would be wrong to remove it from what might as well be its resting place.

 

In that moment, he made a decision. If he ever came back here again, after his illness might finally be cured, he'd take the picture home with him. If he could survive this ordeal, only then might he feel worthy enough to take this memento with him.

 

He hugged the picture to his chest. _'I'm home.'_ He thought. The feeling was bittersweet. _'I'm sorry that I haven't visited you both lately, but I haven't forgotten about you, I promise.'_

 

He smiled to himself and then laid down onto the floor with the picture still clutched to his chest. He talked to them for a bit, telling them about his life, about his illness, and how he might survive it with Computer's help. He then told them more about Computer and how he was helping him, about how they were both helping each other. He liked to think that maybe they could hear him. Though he tried to keep talking to them for as long as he could, he soon couldn't fight his exhaustion any longer and fell fast asleep.

 

End Of Chapter

 

 


	42. Someone To Lean On

Chapter 42: Someone To Lean On

 

The first stabs of pain shooting through his chest were what woke Courage up. Despite his sudden panic, he stifled a scream knowing that Computer was probably asleep right now and he did not want to wake him. He sat there struggling to remain quiet as the attack went by. His limbs flailed helplessly and the picture of his parents was sent flying. It clattered to the floor soundlessly and stirred up large clouds of dust as it settled.

 

The attack went on for several minutes and Courage was left laying there breathlessly. He sat listening to the rain as it pounded on the window, this was one of the few rooms with a window left intact. He spread his limbs out and let his muscles slowly unclench. The worst of the remaining pain was slowly subsiding.

 

He hated night time attacks, unlike the normal ones they always seemed to work in reverse. Rather than causing him to black out they always woke him up. They often left him unable to fall back asleep again and it would hurt so much that even if it did not leave him with insomnia it would have hurt too much to fall back asleep anyway.

 

He was just beginning to relax when another attack began out of almost nowhere. There had been none of the warnings, none of the signs. It had shocked him terribly and even as his mind clouded with pain he was left wondering how this could have happened. He almost never had multiple attacks. At least this one had not lasted as long, it was like it had been when his condition had first shown itself. There had been minor attacks that slowly grew into terrible ones.

 

Once he could move again he slowly got up. The second attack had scared him, he could not remember the last time he had had two attacks in a row. He glanced around the room, it was cold and he wished he could cover up with something. He did not dare touch the rags that had once been the sheets of that moldy old bed. The last thing he needed was flees...

 

He went over to the door to go see if he could find something less ratty to cover up with when it happened again. A third mini attack struck him. He couldn't stop himself from crying out this time as he fell. He writhed on the floor as his mind went mad trying to figure out what was happening to him. The minute it was over he crawled over to the nearest wall and curled into a ball.

 

Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong. He must have pushed himself too hard. He had done far more today than he ever thought he could pull off with his condition as bad as it was. With all that adrenalin fading from his system and his body finally relaxing, his condition was returning with a vengeance.

 

Was he about to die? Was this it? Would he be...

 

Another attack struck and this time once it was over he threw up as his stomach tried to empty it's non-existent contents. Nothing came out except dry heaving and maybe a bit of bile. His stomach did not want to give up though and he continued to gag until the next attack overtook him.

 

He writhed on the floor, unable to stop the contractions of his muscles. He whimpered softly once it was all over. He was terrified. Part of him was convinced that he was dying.

 

His head began to burn. A terrible headache overtook his mind, warping the world around him even more than the continual attacks were. He shivered desperately, he felt like all the warmth was leaving his body.

 

He began to cough and his nose began to run. A coughing fit led him into the next attack and once he resurfaced from it the world around him began to spin. He was sick too, he realized. Spending all that time out in the cold must have caused him to catch something, especially with his body as weak as it was.

 

Another attack rolled through him and his stomach once again tried to purge the contents that did not exist. He didn't know what to do except make himself small and hope it would all end. The room was spinning so quickly now that he had to keep his eyes closed or else the nausea would overwhelm him and lead into another gagging fit. Even with his eyes closed he could still feel the room spinning around him as though he were sitting on a ship.

 

His head was burning up but the rest of his body was slowly turning to ice. Several more attacks struck him in rapid succession and he was left wondering how much more of this he could take. Part of him wished he'd black out, part of him wished he would just die, part of him just wanted it all to end. It all hurt so much...

 

When he opened his eyes again he saw his mother. She was staring down at him, smiling. His head was propped in her lap and she was humming some tune that he could vaguely remember from his puppyhood. She was stroking him just like Muriel often would and for a moment everything felt perfect...

 

But then another attack struck him and when he opened his eyes again she was standing in the doorway. He called out to her but she just turned and left. He cried out to her but she did not return. He tried to stand up but he was so weak and the world was spinning so quickly that he just could not find his balance. He crawled forward on his knees, but even that was too difficult for his tired body. He lay there sobbing, begging her to come back. He was left like that until the next attack left him reeling.

 

The next hour was endless string of pain and strange hallucinations coming to visit him. Old enemies came to mock him, old friends came to comfort him only to leave and cause him even more pain, he thought he heard Muriel calling for him once but no matter how much he yelled she could not seem to hear him. The attacks were growing ever more frequent now and he was left enduring sometimes five or more in a row. His whole body felt like it was shutting down and giving up but the pain would just not end.

 

He had crawled into a corner and kept his head burred in it. If he did not do this the hallucinations would come out to bother him again. Even when he kept himself turned away from it all he could still hear their voices calling out to him.

 

All he could do was sob and wait for the next attack to obliterate his body. He never thought that the pain could be so utterly consuming, he could endure his attacks but not so many of them over such a short period of time.

 

“Courage, come out to play dear.” He heard his mom say.

 

“No!” He yelled. It plunged him into another coughing fit which wracked his body and made his chest even more stiff and painful.

 

A cold, drawling voice added in with hers. “While you are sitting here dying I've got my little darlings coming after your precious Muriel.” It was the voice of Katz. “They are going to feast heartily tonight.”

 

“Shut up, just shut up!” He whimpered out.

 

He felt a hand touch his shoulder and he whirled around expecting to find the cat standing there behind him.

 

It was Computer.

 

No, no, no, it couldn't be! It was just another hallucination! It had to be!

 

Courage turned back around and ignored the glowing dog.

 

“Courage?” He heard the machine ask.

 

Maybe it was him after all...

 

He managed to mutter out a soft, “I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm sorry, go back to bad.” but he could barely speak anymore, it just came out as slurred gibberish.

 

“You're sick...” The machine spoke.

 

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry...” He kept mumbling over and over again. His head hurt too much to really think about anything anymore. The room was still spinning wildly and he didn't want to be an inconvenience for his friend.

 

The glowing dog flipped him back around again and Courage was left groaning at the movement. The machine inspected him with a very worried expression.

 

“I'm going to die, aren't I?” He asked his friend softly. He was not making any effort to hide the sheer terror in his voice. He began whimpering softly as more tears spilled from his eyes.

 

Computer shook his head. “O-of course not.” He didn't sound very sure of himself.

 

The next attack hit him and this time it was only Computer's arm that stopped him from hitting the floor yet again. Once it was over he fell into yet another coughing fit. He could only manage small sobs between coughs now, taking the breath he needed simply hurt too much.

 

He all but collapsed into Computer's arms. He let his head rest on him but that did not quell the vicious spinning that seemed to be overtaking the world around him. He felt Computer wrap his arms around him and he was grateful for the support.

 

Computer kept him from falling during the attacks and his limbs could not flail around as much when he didn't have as much room to do so. He just wished his muscles would stop cramping so badly but not even his friend could do anything about that.

 

Computer stayed with him the whole time. He heard the machine talking through most of it but it all became a blur to Courage in his slowly weakening state of mind. The attacks continued unimpeded and it felt like his very soul was slowly ripping itself apart. Computer offered him some comfort but it did not stop his condition from slowly tearing him to pieces. Between his growing fever and his condition slowly doing him in, his mind could barely register anything anymore. When he wasn't being overwhelmed by attacks or coughing fits all he could do was hang there limply until Computer would do something to try and keep him slightly more coherent.

 

He kept fading in and out of lucidity. He remembered saying things to Computer but it was all just nonsense. He could only choke out several weak little words anyway. Every time he seemed to drift off to 'somewhere' that wasn't here, Computer would bring him out of it with painful shakes or loud words that wouldn't let up until he finally opened his eyes again.

 

Slowly but surely the worse of it began to taper off. His attacks stopped coming in massive waves and he could almost start relaxing his tense muscles again. His head was still pounding and the world was still spinning but he wasn't fighting back the desperate urge to vomit anymore.

 

He was vaguely aware of the soft glow just beyond his eyelids. He was still cold, viciously, terribly cold but he couldn't help but notice how unusually warm that soft glow was. He was afraid that because he wasn't doing as badly as he was before that Computer would leave him alone again. He couldn't bear the thought of being left alone to fend off his attacks and the fevered hallucinations that mocked him. He tried to express his worries to the machine but he was still too far out of it to really communicate anything meaningful to him.

 

He was just beginning to nod off when Computer shifted him and slowly moved him toward a wall. He opened his eyes and was left staring at a spinning world all around him. He had to close them again or risk falling into that endless vertigo forever. He could only manage weak little pants for breath and any attempt to speak came out as half words that he could just barely manage to speak. He just couldn't get the air that he needed.

 

“My feet were starting to get sore.” He heard Computer tell him. His voice still sounded far away, like it was coming through a filter.

 

Courage reached a paw out halfheartedly, as if to grab him and get the point across that he didn't want him to go away. He was so scared of being left alone. He couldn't go through this all alone again!

 

He felt the machine's paws grab his own. “I'm not going anywhere yet.” He spoke. “But I think I might have to very soon.”

 

What! No, no, no! He couldn't be left alone! Courage tried to respond but all he could manage was soft whimpers.

 

“Listen, you're running a high fever and it has left your body in a highly weakened state. Your illness is wreaking havoc on your body because of it. I need to go into town and get you some medicine or else you run the serious risk of dying. I can't do anything for you sitting around here and I'm not just going to wait for you to die. You've been skirting dangerously close to death these past few hours and I'm not going to wait around for it to get worse.”

 

He whimpered out something akin to 'okay' but he still didn't want to be left alone.

 

“Didn't you feel sick at all before this?” The machine asked.

 

He shook his head and instantly wished he hadn't. The vertigo almost brought on another wave of nausea.

 

“You seem to have thankfully stabilized somewhat. I'll wait for you to fall asleep and then I will leave. This may take me a little while so please try and hang on for a little bit longer, won't you?”

 

He spoke the last sentience with a surprising amount of kindness. He had not let go of Courage's arm and he could feel his paws trembling with...worry, perhaps? Courage wasn't sure. Had he really come that close to dying? He suspected that Computer was probably just as afraid as he was but was keeping a level head at the moment for his sake.

 

He _was_ pretty sleep, come to think of it. Computer having kept him awake all this time was the only thing that had kept him from drifting off so far. He was still cold though and he wanted someplace more comfortable to rest but he knew there wasn't a place like that in the house.

 

“You need someplace better to rest, don't you?” Computer asked, almost seeming to read his thoughts. “I'll go check the other rooms and see if I can find anything.”

 

Courage didn't protest but he still had a lingering sense of terror that filled his heart as he heard Computer's footsteps move farther and father away. He sat there for several minutes before the machine finally returned.

 

“There's another bed in the room down the hall. It's pretty nasty too but it's still functional unlike the one in here. If you don't mind the smell, I think it might work.”

 

Courage internally cringed at the thought of sleeping in a moldy bed like the one in this room. He was so tired though that anywhere comfy to sleep seemed like an inviting prospect. If it let him get warm, he'd face the flees or whatever else might be in that bed.

 

He nodded slowly to get his point across but even that made his head spin vigorously.

 

Computer helped him to his feet. He could not stand without putting all his weight onto the machine. He was so weak and the room was spinning around him so quickly that he could not keep himself standing upright without his help.

 

“You know what they say, put one foot in front of the other and all that.” Computer spoke, helping him along.

 

He was certain that he was about to tip over as he took the first few steps but Computer kept him from falling the whole way. It was a slow and very painful effort but soon they were out of the room and into the hallway. He had to stop twice to rest, he just couldn't manage more than a few steps at a time.

 

The machine was uncharacteristically patient with him. He even offer encouragement whenever it seemed like he just couldn't keep moving. Courage felt terrible, it was obvious that he was exhausted too, you could hear it in his voice every time he spoke, and yet here he was being forced to do all these thing for him instead of resting.

 

“Almost there.” He spoke as Courage managed two more stumbling steps.

 

Several minutes later they had finally made it to the bed. It did look nasty but as Computer helped him up into it he found that at least it didn't feel as nasty as it looked. It smelt horrible but it wasn't mushy or anything. He forced himself to ignore the way it looked and collapsed into it. He pulled the ratty blankets around him and instantly began to feel warmer. He glanced back over to find Computer watching him.

 

“Is it acceptable at least?” He asked.

 

Courage did a quick little nod.

 

“Good, now go to sleep. I'll be back as soon as possible.”

 

Courage gave him a worried glance.

 

“Don't worry, I won't leave until you're asleep.” He said before adding. “I don't see why you are so insistent on keeping me around. I can't do much for you if your condition flares up again.”

 

Courage could only manage a soft whimper.

 

“I get that you're scared but I can't do anything for you like this.”

 

Courage whimpered a second time.

 

“Look, as soon as I get back I won't move so much as a muscle from this spot until you get better, alright?”

 

Courage squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. He _was_ feeling slightly better now and maybe he wouldn't hallucinate as much anymore, but....

 

Computer's paws touched the side of the bed. “I'll even let you call me all those awful nicknames again just so long as you don't give out while I'm gone, okay?”

 

A small smile formed across Courage's mouth. There were at least a billion things he wanted to say right now but he could not say even one of them.

 

“What I was trying to say before....” Computer said rather suddenly. “Just in case I don't get a chance to say it later, what I wanted to tell you was that I...” He seemed to seize up again.

 

Had he not been so sick at the moment Courage might have found this amusing. Was he trying to tell him that he cared about him? Courage couldn't help but find it funny that Computer was having such a hard time spitting out something so simple. Hadn't they already gotten this across? He thought that it would have already stuck after he told the machine that he didn't think any less of him despite his friend's perceived lack of worth.

 

There was a sad laugh from the machine. “You're about to die and I still can't say what I really want to....”

 

Courage turned back around and gave him an expression that could only convey the words 'I understand.'

 

The machine seemed almost immediately relieved. “I-I'll try not to screw this up too, alright? I mean, it's my fault that everything's been going wrong lately. You've been pushing yourself too hard and that's partly my fault as well. I keep charging into things and getting us both in trouble for it.”

 

Courage wanted nothing more than to tell him that it wasn't his fault. He really wished he wouldn't blame himself so much.

 

“Don't give me that look!” He spoke noticing Courage's expression. “If I hadn't been so nosy, Eustace wouldn't have knocked me out and sent you to that pound so much earlier then expected. If I hadn't been so insistent on hiding in that forest I wouldn't have had to relive some of my worst memories and absolutely _humiliate_ myself in front of you. If I hadn't been so sure of myself in that I could handle the Fear Eater, I wouldn't have had to sit through Him systematically breaking down my psyche, taking advance of my biggest weaknesses, and him almost murdering you. If I had just avoided all those things you wouldn't have had to run around as much which has helped contribute to your current state.”

 

He looked so guilt ridden that Courage did the only thing he could do and placed a paw on top of his.

 

There was a small smile from the machine. “I really do hate it when you try to make me feel better.”

 

“Go-od-ni-ght” Courage managed to choke out.

 

“I'd hardly call it night anymore but yes, goodnight twit.”

 

Courage closed his eyes and almost immediately found himself drifting off. He had not removed his paw from Computer's own and he didn't really want to. He almost felt as though it were his only life line.

 

“I don't think this rain is ever going to let up.” He heard Computer say. “Ugh, this is going to be one disgusting walk down into Nowhere. I think I'll add rain to my list of things I hate along with trees.”

 

He continued to talk for awhile but Courage was so far removed from the world around him that he didn't really pick up anything he was saying. It didn't take long for him to sink into a fitful sleep and he never felt Computer's paw remove itself from his.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	43. That Awkward Conversation

Chapter 43: That Awkward Conversation

 

Courage awoke to a pounding headache. He had a vague memory of being shaken awake and forced to choke down several pills without any water. He'd been so out of it at the time that he could hardly even remember it happening. He now found himself staring up at the dull, brown ceiling. His head was still spinning but he could at least keep his eyes open without feeling like the world was about to fall out from under him now. He slowly sat up, trying not to aggravate his dizziness any worse than it already was.

 

Computer was standing close to the window next to the bed. His chin was resting on the windowsill and to say that he looked terrible would have been an understatement. Despite his blue glow, one could easily see the dark shadows forming under his eyes. He was staring halfheartedly out the window, which was too dirty to really see anything out of anyway, and he was clearly trying to force himself to stay awake.

 

A pill bottle was laying on the floor next to their bag and that ancient book that Computer was always reading lay open on the floor too. Courage quickly began to wonder just how long he had been out. Rain was still drumming endlessly on glass of the window, but it was definitely light out now.

 

“Computer?” He asked. His voice was hoarse.

 

“Oh, you're awake?” The machine asked with a huge yawn.

 

“What time is it?”

 

“Not a clue.” He replied with a shrug. “Bah, I really do miss my internal clock. You organic creatures are just so inefficient at everything, aren't you?” He gave a quick glance out the window. “If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that it's nearly noon.”

 

“A-am I going to be okay?” Courage asked him, unable to hide the fear in his voice.

 

“You're certainly doing a lot better than you were before.” He replied. Courage could tell that he was relieved.

 

“I still feel pretty bad though.” He admitted to the machine.

 

“Give it a few hours.”

 

“We missed our bus, didn't we?”

 

“I wasn't about to drag you down to the bus stop in the condition that you were in. We'll just have to catch a different one later. It's not that big of a deal.”

 

Courage groaned and laid back down. Not only did he still feel sick, but he could also feel hunger slowly eating a hole into the pit of his stomach as well. He couldn't even remember the last time he had eaten anything.

 

“Listen.” He heard Computer say to him. “You almost died last night. You _must_ take it easier from now on. I know that the last few days have been rather hectic for you, but this close call is a testament to what will happen if you aren't careful.”

 

“I can try, but half the stuff that's been happening to me lately hasn't been in my control. It _was_ you who forced us to go into that forest last night. I probably got sick from being stuck in the rain for so long.”

 

“Don't remind me.” He groaned.

 

“Well, you should get some rest too.” Courage added in, trying to change the subject. Obviously the forest was still a sensitive subject for Computer. “I'm not going anywhere right now, and I don't think I could walk even if I tried.”

 

“I don't need any sleep.” Computer stubbornly replied. He had been forced to stifle a yawn as he said that.

 

“Yes, you do.” Courage chided him. “You look like you're about to drop dead even more than I do!”

 

“I'll live.” He grumbled out before adding in, “I never used to have to sleep like one of you organic creatures...”

 

“Seriously, Computer. You need some rest. Who knows what might happen to us next.”

 

The glowing dog waved a paw. “Fine, fine! I'll go to bed in a little bit! I wasn't sleeping so well before anyway and I didn't want to bother with it anymore if I could.”

 

“Hey, what was it that you were trying to tell me before?” Courage asked him with a mischievous smile. It was always funny to see how flustered Computer got about it.

 

“You still remember that?” He asked, placing a paw onto his hip. “It was nothing! Nothing at all!”

 

“Come on, Computer. Tell me!” He pleaded, all while fighting back a laugh.

 

“Can we move onto something else, please?” The machine groaned. “It's not important!”

 

“Computer...”

 

Courage was starting to get a sense of what was going on here and he was having a hard time not laughing about it. This was so like Computer!

 

“Just drop it, you twit!” The machine snapped. “If I want to say something, I'll say it!”

 

“Aww, I love you too.” He joked, finally bursting out laughing as he did so. It was obvious that the machine had been trying to tell him that he cared in his own cynical, jerk-like way, but he hadn't been able to spit it out.

 

“W-What?” The machine stammered. “That is most certainly not what I was going to say!” He yelled, crossing his arms. “That would be the very last thing I'd ever say! Have you gone insane? Did that fever finally get to your head?”

 

“Wow, look how flustered you are!” He laughed. “Aww, Compute, you really do care!”

 

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that!” He yelled.

 

Now it was Courage's turn to cross his arms. “You said that so long as I lived through the night, I could keep calling you whatever nicknames I want!”

 

“I wish you would have forgotten that as well!” He griped. “I swear, you always joke about the worst possible things. You are quite literally the epitome of unfunny.”

 

“Are you kidding me?” He gasped out. “You're the one who'll sit there and insult me for ten minutes straight while a monster is munching on Muriel! You're the one who jokes about all the wrong things at all the wrong times!”

 

The machine laughed. “At least I get the job done! What do you do? Pretend that I don't exist unless you need my help!”

 

“I know that I'm at fault for a few things.” Courage admitted, growing somber. “If I'm going to consider you family, once this is all over, I promise I'll visit you more often. I've been neglecting you all these years and I'm really, really sorry for it. We fight a lot but nobody deserves to be left alone like that, especially for as long as you have.”

 

Computer shrugged. “You don't have to do anything, it's fine. I _am_ disagreeable after all.”

 

Courage couldn't help but smile. “It's the least I can do for you. I know that you don't like me very much, but-”

 

“Don't like you?” He asked, looking surprised. He waited a moment and then picked his words very carefully. “You are, _ugh_ , amusing...”

 

That seemed to be the only praise that he could manage to choke out. He looked half angry and half annoyed with himself as he said it, but there was a sense of fondness in his tone.

 

Courage decided to jokingly prod the issue. “Amusing? That's it? After everything that just happened, you only think that I'm amusing?”

 

The machine seemed to be at a loss for words as he tried to rectify his statement. “Well, um-”

 

“I'm just one big amusing joke? Aww, come on!” Courage put on as much fake outrage as he could muster.

 

“You are, er, 'nice'?” The machine tried to say, only sounding half sure of himself as he did so. “You are a g-good owner, I guess, a-and-” He stumbled over his words as he tried to find something nice to say. “On a scale of one to ten, I'd say that you are an eight.”

 

“WHAT? I'm not a ten?” Courage yelped.

 

The machine looked absolutely aghast. “Well, there's that whole twit thing. That automatically knocks off two points at least. Normally that would knock off five, but your exceptional, er, 'niceness' has made me reconsider.” He started to nervously laugh.

 

“So, not only am I just 'amusing', my worth is being graded by numbers too?” He continued on with his fake outrage, but it was taking a lot of effort not to burst out laughing. Computer's genuine shock and disbelief was causing him to nearly collapse a lung. “I consider you a valuable friend, ally, and family member and yet I'm only an eight to you?”

 

“No, no, no! I-I just-” His responses were becoming even more fragmented as he grew more and more flustered. “I-I appreciate your company a-and you _are_ my friend. You've treated me far better than any of my old owners, after all. I don't know much about friendship, family, or any of that other nonsense, b-but...” He shook his head in desperation. “You didn't judge me back there in that forest, not for anything that I said or did. We both know that if our rolls had been reversed, I would have never given you any slack for it.”

 

Courage crossed his arms. “Eight out of ten....” He growled.

 

The machine's expression became absolutely horror struck. He slowly bowed his head, as though giving up, and muttered, “Okay, okay. I get it. I'm obviously not cut out for this whole friendship thing. I'm just not good enough, am I? It's all just so confusing.”

 

There it was again. His absolute obsession with being 'good enough'. Friendship and affection, or rejection from failed attempts at such things seemed to be his biggest weakness and the biggest hole in his knowledge about people. Courage was quickly beginning to feel bad for egging him on like this. Didn't he realize that he was just joking around? He immediately gave up the charade.

 

“Computer, I was just joking.” He said.

 

He craned his head to the side when the machine did not look up again. “You just saved my life last night.” He went on. “I'm not about to tell you that you aren't good enough after something like that. You don't give yourself enough credit! Come on, Compute!”

 

“It was my fault that you nearly died in the first place.” He grumbled.

 

“It was a combination of a lot of things.” Courage replied, placing a paw onto his shoulder.

 

“I doubt that I can be a very good friend in the first place.” He sighed. “I just don't know how any of that nonsense works anyway. I mean, outside of being annoyingly kind to everyone, like....like _you_!” He seemed disgusted at the prospect.

 

“You're a perfectly fine friend.” Courage gently reaffirmed. “I was just joking, okay? I'm fine with being an eight.”

 

“If you say so.” He quietly replied.

 

“Come on, Compute! You're the one who's always telling me to lighten up! We watch each others backs! You wouldn't abandon me and I wouldn't abandon you! No matter how much we fight, no matter what might happen, we're still friends, okay?”

 

“I suppose so.” He sighed, completely unconvinced. “It is nice though, to know that I won't be sold off to a new owner or thrown away like any old piece of garbage. I'm going to have to find a way to repay you. I guess I can continue to try and be _'nice'_ , but it's not very easy.” He allowed himself the weakest of smiles. “And it kind of hurts too.” He joked.

 

Courage laughed. “I think you're allergic to being nice. But that's alright, you don't have to repay me for anything.”

 

“I must! It's the right thing to do!” He exasperated, completely resolute in his belief. “And I promise that I won't go charging into danger anymore!” He then added in rather quietly, “However, this one is on you. I'm not the one who wanted to go into this house.”

 

“It's not the house's fault that I'm sick!” Courage yelled. “And I can't believe that you were actually afraid of a big, spooky house! What's happened to you?” He grinned again. “I think you're losing your touch!”

 

“I-I'm not afraid!” He yelled. “I was just exercising a healthy level of caution! After the forest, I just don't want to have to deal with anymore strangeness, alright? This whole stupid house should just be torn down! Look at the floor in this room alone! It's about to give out!” He crossed his arms. “I'm surprised that there hasn't been at least one halfway decent ghost who's moved in!”

 

“So,” Courage asked, changing the subject. “What was it that you were _really_ going to say to me before?”

 

“This again? Look, I think I just said most of it anyway.” He grumbled. “I wasn't quite sure what exactly I wanted to say, but there were a lot of things. Your fake little 'show' back there unfortunately forced my hand.”

 

Courage grinned. “A cop out, huh?”

 

“What? No! I said what I wanted to say!”

 

“Well, I meant what I said before about family and all of that.”

 

“So you weren't just trying to freak me out? Here I was thinking that you had finally lost your stupid, little mind.” He expression soften. “Well, thank you for that though. Thank you for everything. Nobody has ever wanted me around before, not really. You _are_ a twit, but I'd rather have a twit around like you than somebody else entirely.”

 

“Aww, Compute! I knew you had it in you! Was that really so hard to say?” He laughed.

 

The machine's smile instantly turned back into a scowl. “Very...” He grumbled.

 

Courage sighed and collapsed backwards again. He was starting to feel ridiculously tired once more.

 

“We've spent far too much time talking. You should get some rest. Give it a few more hours and you should start to feel a little bit better.” Computer spoke.

 

“You need to get some rest too.” He reminded him.

 

“Yes, yes, I know.” The machine sighed. “I'll crash in a little bit.”

 

“Good night, Compute.” Courage replied with a chuckle.

 

“Good night, Cour.”

 

Courage shot back up off the pillow. “H-hey! Don't you start too!”

 

The machine laughed. “Two can play at this game, you know!”

 

Courage smiled again. “Thanks for helping me, Compute.” He said with a yawn.

 

“It's my job.”

 

“You'll stay here with me if it starts to get bad again, won't you?”

 

“Why wouldn't I?”

 

“I-I don't think that I could go through that again.” He whimpered. He couldn't stop his voice from trembling at the thought of it.

 

“I'll do whatever I can to help. It isn't much, but I won't leave you alone.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You don't have to thank me. It's like I said, this _is_ just my job after all.” He chuckled.

 

“Please get some rest, Computer. I'd hate it if you got the same fever as me just because you've been pushing yourself so hard.”

 

“I'll be fine. Besides, getting your fever wouldn't be nearly as bad for me. That fever weakened you enough for your illness to start wreaking havoc.”

 

“Well, have you thought of a name while I was asleep?” He asked.

 

“Just one.” He admitted, practically puffing up his chest as he did so. “Cornelius! I kind of like it! I can't say that I'm dead set on it yet, but-”

 

Courage let out a snort. “Pfff! That's just pretentious enough of a name for you!” He laughed.

 

“What?” He gasped. “Oh, really? If you're so smart, why don't you figure out a name? You're useless, you twit!”

 

“Only because you're too picky!”

 

“Yet I find a name that I like and you go and say that it's too pretentious! Honestly! You must be trying to drive me insane on purpose!”

 

“I only do it because I care!”

 

“If you actually cared, you'd worry more about my mental health!”

 

“Ha! You can't live in Nowhere and not be a little bit crazy!”

 

“A little?” He sighed. “Twits, I swear.”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	44. Recovery

Chapter 44: Recovery

 

When Courage awoke again he was already starting to feel much better. He still felt weak and his body still ached from his cramped muscles but his head no longer hurt like a red hot iron and the room no longer spun when he opened his eyes. He sat up slowly, half expecting his dizziness to return.

 

Computer was sitting at the foot of the bed, his nose burred in that book of his. He still looked exhausted and Courage was worried that he hadn't rested at all.

 

“Did you get any sleep?” He asked the machine, almost startling him.

 

“Goodness dog, I thought you'd never wake up again!” Computer spoke. He turned around to face him.

 

“How long have I been asleep?” He asked his friend.

 

“Nearly all day now.”

 

“R-really?” He gasped. He couldn't believe that he had almost slept the whole day away.

 

He gazed over to the window. It was still raining just as much as it had been hours ago. He was starting to wonder if it would ever let up. This wasn't completely unusual, Nowhere usually had strange weather events like this and he could remember it storming for at least three days straight once. Even with the cloud cover you could still tell that it was getting dark out. The room they were sitting in was already beginning to sink into darkness.

 

“You did get some sleep, didn't you?” He asked the machine.

 

Computer shrugged. “A little bit.”

 

He didn't look it though. He seemed to be a little bit better but he still looked as though he were about to pass out from exhaustion.

 

Courage placed a paw on his stomach. “I'm starving.” He admitted softly.

 

“I would have gotten you something while I was out in town but the last time I did anything with food you acted like I force fed you poison.”

 

“It _was_ poison.” Courage grumbled. “So long as you brought back something you didn't have had to cook it it would have been safe.”

 

The machine cranked his head to the side. “And how am I supposed to know what kind of food to get you? Just looking at the stuff you organics consume disgusts me. I wouldn't know the first thing to get for you. ”

 

“Anything would have worked just so long as you didn't pick up flour, salt or other things inedible like those.”

 

“Exactly! I don't know what kind of food is edible from the get go or what is used for cooking alone! I think an internet connection is the next thing on my list of stuff you organic creatures need. I wouldn't be having these problems if I could just look this all up properly.”

 

“Life never comes with an internet connection.” Courage laughed. “I know someplace we can eat that's not far from here. We can leave as soon as I'm feeling up to it but I really don't think my energy will return until I finally get something in my stomach. You must be starving too.”

 

He blinked. “I don't _get_ hungry.”

 

“So long as you're in a dog body you do. You need to eat and sleep just like the rest of us now.”

 

“I'm fine! I don't need to do any of those things! I can live without!”

 

“No you can't! You already look half dead from exhaustion! You're going to start looking like a skeleton now too!”

 

“Ugh, fine! Whatever!” He growled. “I never realized just how inferior you organic creatures really are! You all need so much maintenance just to keep functioning!”

 

Courage shrugged. “That's just the way things are.”

 

“Oh yes, I almost forgot.” The machine spoke, jumping off the bed. He picked something up off the floor and Courage realized that it was the picture of his parents. “These must be your parents, aren't they? I nearly cut my foot open when I stepped on this stupid thing back in the other room.”

 

“Y-yeah they are.” Courage murmured.

 

“Is that what you came up here for? You should take this with you. I couldn't do it myself but if you found a different computer you could scan this and enhance the picture to look like normal again. You could make a pretty decent version of this to keep around.”

 

“Why couldn't you do it?”

 

Computer gave him a startled glance. “You know why!”

 

“Oh, right...uh sorry.”

 

“I mean, if you really wanted me to I could possibly find a way but it would take me awhile. I can scan things fine after all, it's just...”

 

“It's alright, you don't have to justify anything.” Courage interjected. “But you're right, I think I will take it home with me this time.”

 

The machine immediately became relieved. “Sorry, I just...”

 

“Computer! It's alright!” He yelled. “Don't worry about it. I'm not faulting you for anything, geeze.”

 

“So what happened to them anyway?” He asked.

 

“It's a long story but I'll try to sum it up the best I can.” Courage replied, rubbing his head weakly. He honestly felt too tired to do this but he felt that Computer deserved an answer. “When I was just a puppy I got my head stuck in that gate we came in through. You and I went through the hole they cut out to help me. Parts of the gate were still stuck between my neck and my parents just couldn't get it off themselves. They were too afraid to try and cut any closer to my neck so they took me to a vet. That was when he took them...”

 

He felt an unexpected wave of anger overtake him. The memory of what had happened always angered him almost as much as it saddened him but he had never felt as strongly about it as he did now. He began to realize that this was literally the first time he had told anyone about what had happened to his parents. Talking about this seemed to bring out all new emotions within him.

 

“They left me in the room so that he could talk to them. That was when he took them away! I went looking for them but it was already too late! He had some awful experiment he wanted to use them for. It was some stupid thing about breeding dogs in space to make them stronger. I couldn't get to them in time and they were blasted off into space. I couldn't do anything for them! I was just a puppy, what more could I have done?”

 

He was surprised by the bitterness in his own voice. Now that he had someone to talk to about it, all his sorrow seemed to have turned into anger. It just didn't seem fair that he had to lose his parents like that.

 

“And you were left alone for Muriel to find, right?” Computer asked. “Guess that vet didn't want you for any experiments?”

 

“Yeah...” He sighed. “A few years ago Muriel took me to see him again. She thought I was sick and even though I tried to make her see that I didn't want to go, she took me anyway. He tried to take me too. It was probably because I was old enough to be bred now but Muriel went after us when I tried to run away. He almost blasted both her and Eustace off into space too after discovering his secret. I didn't mess up like I did with my parents though and this time I managed to save us all. That awful vet got a taste of his own medicine when he got locked into his own rocket. If my parents are still alive, I hope they gave him what he deserved...”

 

“Well, I for one am glad that you are here.” Computer spoke. “Surely you're happy with Muriel, aren't you? You're so devoted to her I never thought you'd regret being her dog.”

 

“I have realize just how much different things would be if my parents hadn't gone away but I am happy to be with Muriel. I just miss my parents sometimes. I used to think that I might be able to save them one day but as I get older I realize just how unlikely that would be...”

 

“Well this is certainly strange.” Computer laughed. “I've never seen you give up so easily. I'm sure you'll find a way to help them some day. You usually do when it comes to these things. Muriel and Eustace would be long gone by now if you weren't so, well, pragmatic about your problems.”

 

“IF I survive this.” He added. “There's still a chance you won't be able to cure me of this illness.”

 

“And there's still a chance it will all work out fine in the end. The odds cut both ways, you know.”

 

Courage smiled. “I think my optimism is finally rubbing off on you.”

 

“Perhaps it has.”

 

“I think I'd like to try and get up now.” He spoke. Part of his shuttered to think what would happen if he put all his weight back on his legs again. He expected his muscles would give out or the dizzy spells would return.

 

“I'll help you with it.” Computer replied. “It's going to be awhile before you are well again. Walking is probably going to be a problem for the time being. You should probably take some more medicine after you get something to eat. The last thing I need is you relapsing because you aren't managing your fever properly. I'm afraid you are probably going to be pretty weak for awhile. Just don't push yourself too hard and you'll be fine.”

 

He moved over to the side of the bed and offered a paw to help him down. Courage slid off the bed and did indeed almost collapse the moment he put his weight on his muscles. Computer kept him from falling but he still felt utterly helpless and it was starting to depress him.

 

“Maybe we shouldn't try to leave yet.” He said standing there shakily. Computer's grip was the only thing keeping him from collapsing right then and there.

 

“You've just got to work the stiffness out of your legs. Your entire body was pretty locked up before while you were having those attacks. They aren't going to get any better unless you exercise them a bit.”

 

Courage swallowed and give him a helpless glance.

 

“Trust me!” He spoke. “I'll help you with this and soon you'll be moving properly again!”

 

“A-alright...” Courage murmured weakly.

 

They spent the next two hours working the stiffness out of his leg muscles. It quickly grew dark outside and the room was plunged into blackness. Only Computer's blue glow keep the room lit. The machine first had him mostly walking across the room back and fourth, all while keeping a hold on him to keep him from falling over. When he could finally stand without threatening to collapse, Computer retreated to merely watching as he slowly found his balance and began to walk again. At first he was weak and very wobbly but soon he could walk across the room without his legs shaking, or him nearly tipping over in weakness. The deep hunger in his stomach was a great motivator, he would have given anything for something to eat at that moment.

 

“You're doing much better!” Computer chimed in. “You're still shaking a bit but I think you might be able to manage now. If what you were saying was true, some food may really do you some good.”

 

“Y-yeah.” Courage replied weakly. “I'm so hungry I could eat three refrigerators worth of food right now.”

 

“Alright, so where is this place you want to eat at?” He asked.

 

“It's not far. I'll show you the way once we get out of here.”

 

“I hope you're right when you say it's not far off. You can walk again but I don't think you can manage a long walk in your current condition.”

 

Courage chuckled. “I'd be willing to walk halfway across the world just for a cheeseburger right now.”

 

“Are you sure you don't want me to just go get you something from this place?”

 

“I _really_ don't trust you with food anymore.” Courage replied. He was dead serious about this as he shuttered to think about that _monstrosity_ that Computer had made for him back on the farm.

 

Computer shook his head in annoyance. “Twits...” He grumbled.

 

“Stop complaining and help me get out of here.” Courage ordered. “I feel like I'm about to waste away.”

 

“Fine, fine.” Compuer grumbled. “But please don't push yourself too hard. I'd hate to have to sit through you nearly dying again.”

 

“It's worth dying just so long as I finally get something to eat!” Courage argued.

 

The machine gathered up their things and slung the bag back over his shoulder. Courage caught one last glimpse of his parents before they vanished into the bag. For some odd reason he almost had a sense of closure now. Much like how Computer was putting his past behind him, so was he. Only unlike his mechanical friend he wasn't going to try and forget about all of it, he was simply going to cherish it even more.

 

It was after they had made their way out of the house and they were standing outside the gate that Courage found a sign lit up by Computer's glow that he had not seen before. It read **CONDEMNED** with a date of demolition below it. He was awed by the sight of it. In a few days his parents house would be no more. Had he not decided to come here, had Computer not prompted him to keep it, he would have never rescued his picture before it was too late.

 

He was happy to have spent one last day in the house of his puppyhood, even if it was under such grim circumstances. He would cherish his memories of this place forever but it was time to stop worrying about the life he never had. Maybe he would someday meet his parents again but until then all he could do was hope that he was living up to their expectations. 

 

End Of Chapter

 


	45. Hamburgers And Coffee

Chapter 45: Hamburgers And Coffee

 

Ten minutes out in the rain and Courage was already chilled and deeply soaked to the bone. At this rate, his fever really would start acting up again. He was beginning to hate the rain and everything about it. Above all else, he was getting tired of his fur feeling so mushy. It made his skin itch and he kept feeling weighed down by it, which only made his muscles even more tired.

 

“I thought you said this place was close?” Computer asked, shivering beside him.

 

“It is! Stop complaining and keep moving!” He answered.

 

“I wasn't complaining, you twit!” The machine sharply shot back, crossing his arms as he did so.

 

Several minutes later and they were still walking. Courage was just about to give up and let his stomach eat itself when he finally saw the sign that he had been looking for glowing brightly in the distance. It was like a beacon of hope guiding him through the darkness. His stomach would no longer have to commit suicide!

 

The sign in question read,

 

**Burgers!**

**Really Cheap!**

 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Computer spoke, stopping in his tracks. “Isn't this that place where you thought the owners were cannib-”

 

“Food! Hungry! Now!” Was all Courage uttered out, cutting the glowing dog off. He hadn't stopped moving and Computer was slowly falling behind. His mouth was absolutely watering now and no whiny machine was going to stand between him and his meal!

 

Computer shrugged, partly confused and partly annoyed, but he did not argue further with Courage or his stomach.

 

Truthfully, Courage really did used to be afraid of this place. He'd originally thought that he and Eustace were going to be captured and eaten by the owners, and after escaping by himself it'd been quite a shock when the old farmer had showed up later that night, whole and very much not eaten. Unfortunately for him, Eustace had decided to make the restaurant his new favorite place to eat. It wasn't long before he was dragged back and found out that everything he had thought about the strange burger joint was just one big misconception. The place still gave him the creeps, yes, but he'd still go in willingly whenever Eustace stopped by.

 

The rain was beginning to pick up to an even more vicious pace. It coming down in massive sheets and the wind was blowing so hard that it nearly knocked both dogs off their feet. Courage was beginning to worry that it would start to storm as badly as it did back in the forest. He had to keep a paw raised in front of his face just to be able to keep his eyes open. The glowing sign remained the one and only beacon in the darkness that they could reliably follow. He could see the diner now as well, as its windows seemed to glow in the ever deepening darkness.

 

After what felt like hours, they finally made it across the expanse that separated them from the building. They crossed the road with no difficulties and Courage couldn't have been any happier when he wrench the diner door open and tumbled inside. The door stood open, blowing in the wind for several seconds, before closing again with a loud 'thump'. All the raging elements outside were reduced to nothing more than an eerie howling. He immediately went over and sat down at the counter. There were no other customers around, but he didn't mind. Just so long as he could eat in peace, he didn't care who or what else showed up to eat as well.

 

Computer was still standing by the door, dripping water down onto the 'welcome' mat. He was looking very unsure of himself and he did not budge from the spot until Courage finally beckoned at him to come over. The glowing dog gave him a look that screamed the words, 'I really don't want to be here right now!' and then walked up to the counter. Upon seating himself, he glanced up and down the diner, as if he were expecting something bad to happen.

 

Several minutes of waiting later, Jean Bon, the owner of the diner, came walking out from the kitchen. The large pig looked down at Courage and his face lit up. “Well, if it ain't Eustace's little doggy! I haven't seen that grumpy ol' coot in ages! What's the old man been up to lately?” He asked in his characteristic, overly loud voice.

 

Courage opened his mouth to respond, but the pig moved on to another subject before he could give him an answer.

 

“And you've brought a new friend too! Eh, why's he all glowy like that?”

 

Now it was Computer's turn to try and speak, but Courage cut him off before he could. “Radiation! Lots of radiation! He fell into a pool of toxic waste as a pup!”

 

Computer just stared, stupefied at hearing such an idiotic reason for why he glowed.

 

Jean Bon seemed to find this absolutely hilarious though. “I should show 'em to my wife! She'd get a kick out of this! 'Frade she can't make much out of him though! Radiation wouldn't be good for all that meat!”

 

“I can see why you thought these guys were cannibals...” Computer muttered out under his breath.

 

Jean Bon went on without stopping even once. He whipping out a piece of paper to take their order. “So, what would you two like?”

 

Courage's mouth was already watering at the thought of _finally_ getting some food into his stomach. “Hamburgers! Lots and lots of hamburgers!” He answered, licking his lips in anticipation.

 

“And what would you like?” He asked Computer.

 

The machine gave him a halfhearted shrug. His eyes darted to Courage and then back up at the pig, unsure of what to say.

 

“He'll have a hamburger too.” Courage chimed in.

 

Having become even more unsure about all of this, Computer seemed to be trying to avoid any extra attention. If he were to sink any lower into his chair, he would have vanished under the counter. While Courage normally would have found this pretty funny, he was so hungry at the moment that he could hardly think about anything else.

 

The wait for their food was absolute torture. Courage's stomach seemed to be fighting back with a vengeance and now it felt like the hole in his stomach was becoming a ravine. Computer on the other hand seemed to be going pale, which was an amazing feat for someone so blue. What he was so nervous about, Courage wasn't sure, and he didn't bother asking either since he knew that he was probably just going to get a snippy reply anyway.

 

“Aaaand here they are!” Jean Bon announced, coming back in from the kitchen with two plates. Courage's was absolutely loaded with hamburgers, while Computer's, not so much.

 

When the wonderful smell hit Courage's nose, he couldn't stop his tongue from flopping out onto the counter. Computer simply looked on with a displeased expression.

 

“The two of you look half starved. Dunno know what you've been up to, but it must have been rough.” Jean Bon spoke as he placed the plates onto the counter. Courage immediately went to work on his hamburgers.

 

“Mmmm, mmmm MMMM!” He hummed, chomping down on almost three hamburgers at once. He was so hungry that he just wanted to shove as much food into his mouth as he could fit.

 

“I'll get another batch goin'.” The jolly pig spoke. “You two enjoy yourselves!”

 

Courage was on his sixth large hamburger when he noticed that Computer hadn't even touched his. The glowing dog was currently staring at him as though he were witnessing some horribly disgusting act.

 

“Eeeat ummp.” Courage said with a mouthful of food. He didn't wait another second to start shoveling in two more burgers.

 

Computer looked as though he were about to be sick.

 

“Disgusting...” He muttered under his breath.

 

He looked down at his hamburger and then back up at Courage, as if he were trying to puzzle this whole thing out. Finally, he reached down and picked the hamburger up, and even though it was still in its wrapper, he opened his mouth to take a bite out of it. Courage reached over and grabbed him by his arm before he could do so, however.

 

“You aren't supposed to eat the wrapper!” He told the confused machine in a harsh whisper.

 

Computer slammed the hamburger back down onto the plate, looking as though he had very nearly eaten a deadly substance.

 

“I-I knew that.” He sniffed, trying to save face.

 

“Come on, Compute! Eating isn't that hard! All you gotta do is chew and swallow! It's easy!” He chomped down onto another hamburger. “Just don't choke!” He added.

 

The machine picked the hamburger up again and inspected it carefully. “And how does one go about _'not'_ choking?” He asked.

 

“You just don't.” Courage answered, shoving another hamburger down his gullet.

 

“Oh, yeah, that's really helpful!” He spat out, rolling his eyes.

 

“Stop being a baby and try it! You might end up liking it!”

 

Computer rolled his eyes again. “Ugh, whatever! I will never understand why you flesh creatures developed the need to eat one other. Down the hatch...I guess.” He sighed.

 

He took a small bite out of the hamburger and his expression immediately went from sheer annoyance to sheer disgust in two seconds flat. The moment he swallowed the single morsel, he began coughing violently, as if he had just swallowed a can of tar. For a moment Courage thought that he really was choking, but that didn't seem to be the case.

 

The machine turned in his chair and grabbed Courage by his shoulders. “Twit, am I choking? I-I think I might be! I knew that this was a bad idea! I knew that eating would be awful! Why on earth did I ever go along with this?”

 

“Computer, you're fine.” Courage replied with a chuckle.

 

“I-I am?” He asked, blinking. Apparently even now he wasn't certain if he was choking or not.

 

“You aren't choking to death, I promise.” Courage laughed.

 

The machine sunk back down into his chair. “That was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. I'm _never_ eating again.” He pushed the plate away, looking thoroughly displeased with it. “That was... _disgusting_.”

 

“Eating is the best thing ever!” Courage replied, finishing off his plate by shoving yet another three hamburgers into his mouth. “I wobben't gib it up ferp anyphing!”

 

“Uh, huh...” Computer drawled, not believing a word of it.

 

Jean Bon re-entered the diner with two more plates in hand. Courage stared hungrily up at them. Computer turned away, looking pale once more.

 

“Is something wrong with your burger?” Jean Bon asked.

 

Computer tried to speak, but Courage cut him off yet again so that he wouldn't say something that might lead the pig into asking even more questions that they could not answer.

 

“He's a, uh....vegetarian! He never eats meat unless I talk him into it!”

 

Jean Bon laughed. “Well, if I was all glowy like that, I'd be a vegetarian too! Don't worry pal, we don't got any radiation in our meat!”

 

The two dogs gave each other confused looks at the pig's strange comment.

 

“Oh, yeah!” He quickly added. “I almost forgot about your drinks!”

 

He vanished back inside the kitchen and the two dogs were left alone again. Courage swiped Computer's hamburger and made quick work of that too.

 

“I can speak for myself, you know.” Computer grumbled, letting his chin rest on the counter.

 

Jean Bon returned fairly quickly, this time carrying two cups of coffee. He was in as good of humor as ever, this time joking loudly about mutant, radioactive cows and pigs that could fly.

 

Upon finishing off the third burger on his newest plate of food, Courage flagged the pig down and asked for soda instead of coffee. He hated the stuff. It tasted awful and had always smelled funny to him.

 

“Sure thing! I'll be right back!” Jean Bon happily obliged.

 

Computer had been eying down his own cup of coffee for several minutes now. He picked the cup up and stared at the reflective, dark liquid inside. Courage was so busy scarfing down more burgers that he didn't even notice when the machine took a sip.

 

Ten minutes later and Courage had finished off his third helping of hamburgers. His stomach was bulging at this point and with a loud burp, he announced that he was finished. He ordered a second soda to help wash down the burgers, but he was so full that he honestly didn't think that his stomach could handle it.

 

“Hey,” Computer spoke up, gesturing at Jean Bon as he came around to give Courage his soda. “I want more of this.” He said, pointing down at his now empty cup of coffee.

 

“You actually drank that?” Courage asked. “Coffee is disgusting!”

 

“Are you kidding me, twit? This stuff is great!” He exclaimed. “It's much better than trying to choke down bits of dead cow!”

 

Courage shook his head. “You won't eat hamburgers but you like coffee? I don't get you sometimes, Compute.”

 

Jean Bon returned with more coffee and Computer made quick work of the second cup. He immediately ordered another.

 

“You can't live off coffee, you know.” Courage added.

 

“I can certainly try!” He replied with a surprisingly happy chuckle.

 

“Here you go, pal.” Jean Bon spoke, pouring the machine his third cup.

 

“You may as well stick around.” He told the pig before rapidly gulping down the coffee.

 

“Ugh...” Courage groaned. “You're not supposed to drink coffee like that! Gulping it down is just gross!”

 

The machine didn't even bother trying to rebuke him, he simply continued sucking down coffee as fast as Jean Bon could pour it. Courage quietly sipped at his soda for the next few minutes while Computer hit his sixteenth cup of coffee...

 

“I am _not_ teaching you how to use the bathroom.” He groaned, glancing over at the glowing dog only once before returning to his drink.

 

“I see that someone is quite the coffee drinker!” Jean Bon laughed as he replenished his pot of coffee for what had to be at least the fifth time. “You're going to get addicted just like all of those teachers and policemen!”

 

“If this is an addiction then I think I'm going to like addictions.” Computer chuckled, downing yet another cup. “I'm ready for another refill!” He announced.

 

“Boy, I don't know where you're putting it all!”

 

As soon as the pig was out of hearing range Computer turned to Courage, empty cup in hand. “Alright twit, I've got to admit that this is probably one of the few good things you organic creatures have ever come up with.”

 

“It's just coffee...” Courage sighed.

 

“It's not just coffee, it's like...liquid happiness!” The machine laughed, apparently dead serious.

 

“Er, are you going to be okay?” Courage asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

The machine frowned at his question. “Come to think of it, why are you suddenly talking so slowly?” He asked.

 

Courage fought the urge to slap his forehead. “Alright, that's it! This is the last cup of coffee for you! I'm cutting you off after this!”

 

“What? You can't tell me what to do! I may never get another chance to keep drinking this stuff!”

 

“IT'S JUST COFFEE!”

 

“Ugh, fine!” He relented with a huff. “You're such a-”

 

Headlights flashed in through the diner window. They both turned around at the same time to get a look at who was parking.

 

“Oh, no!” Courage gasped.

 

It was Eustace's truck! There was no mistaking it!

 

“Here's the next round of coffee!” Jean Bon spoke, tromping back in through the kitchen door.

 

“We've got to get out of here!” Computer spoke, pulling Courage under the counter so that Eustace could not see them from the window.

 

“Oh, hey, isn't that Eustace?” Jean Bon asked.

 

Computer had already pulled Courage out of his chair and was tugging him towards the door that led to the basement.

 

Courage glanced up at the pig and desperately pleaded, “Don't tell him that we're here!”

 

For the first time that night, the smile faded from the waiter's face. “Well, if you say so.” He murmured.

 

As they got closer to the basement, Courage realized that Computer wouldn't know that there was a flight of stairs behind that door, and tried to stop him before he accidentally sent them both tumbling down into the basement.

 

“Computer, wait! There's a-”

 

Too late, Computer wrenched open the door and was moving so quickly that he didn't even notice that the stairs were there. It was only Courage's quick movement that caught him by the ears before he went crashing down the steps.

 

“See!” He hissed.

 

“J-just shut up and close the door!” Computer ordered.

 

Not a second before the door clicked shut did the front door open and Eustace came tromping in from the rain. Courage watched through the keyhole as the old man sat down in one of the chairs. He was looking unusually haggard, dressed in a yellow raincoat and soaked to the bone.

 

“The usual, I suspect?” Jean Bon asked. “So, what brings you here this fine evening?”

 

Eustace ran a boney hand down his face, further cementing how tired he looked. “Trouble, lots of trouble.” He said in a weary voice. “Been up all day and night in this godforsaken rain.”

 

“And why's that?”

 

“The darn dog! That's why!” He yelled. “He was sick, _really_ sick. Doctor said the best thing we could do for him was to put him down. The day we took him there they had this big breakout. All the dogs escaped, couldn't find even one of 'em. Got a call from those veterinarian folk yesterday evening. Muriel's been out looking for that darn dog ever since. Haven't slept a wink since! We've been up looking for him all over Nowhere!”

 

Courage felt his breath catch in his chest. He had to go out there. He needed to tell them that he was alright. They wouldn't dare take him back to the vet, not now. It wouldn't be right to leave them looking for him like this. He couldn't bear to keep Muriel worrying while he was off on some mountain.

 

Eustace continued on, “Muriel's been worried sick. She keeps talking like this is all her fault. Keeps saying that the dog knew what was coming, that we didn't have the right to put him through it. Thinks he hasn't come back because he hates her now. I keep telling her she's going to catch her death out in this rain, but she just won't listen! Her voice is practically gone from calling that darn dog's name all day!”

 

Courage winced. He needed to go out there! There was no changing his mind now. He didn't even care if they really did take him back to the veterinarian office! He just needed to tell Muriel that he was alright. He couldn't leave her like this!

 

His paw had barely touched the doorknob when Computer pulled him back. The glowing dog shook his head.

 

“I have to go out there!” He sharply whispered at the machine.

 

“Are you insane?” He asked, just barely keeping his voice quiet enough not to be heard.

 

“They wouldn't take me back to that place now! I-I can't keep them worrying about me like this!”

 

“How can you be certain of that? I am ' _not'_ battling anymore janitors for your sake, dog! We need to stay put!”

 

“Computer, please!” He begged.

 

The machine kept a firm grip on his arm. The both glared viciously at each other while Eustace waited for his supper.

 

“I'm not going to forgive you for this.” Courage growled in a low voice.

 

“I'm doing this for _both_ of our sakes, dog!” Computer adamantly replied. “I refuse to let us be handed back over to those awful people just because you think that stupid, old woman actually cares about you! She tried to have you put down once and she'll do it again if she thinks that it's the right thing to do for you!”

 

Courage grit his teeth. “Let go!” He yelled, keeping his voice just barely under a whisper.

 

“That's not happening, dog!”

 

With the horrible images stuck in his mind of Muriel wandering through the dark, calling out his name in the endless downpour, Courage angrily shoved Computer and they both lost their balance. The two of them went tumbling down the staircase and the moment they landed, Courage grabbed the machine by the skin of his neck, teeth grit, and came far too close to punching him seconds before he realized what he was doing. He had been about to do the one terrible thing that he had promised he would never do again. Somehow he had let his temper get the better of him yet again.

 

“Let go of me, you idiot!” Computer exclaimed. He apparently had not noticed what had almost happened.

 

Courage flung himself backwards, his insides twisting up with guilt at the thought of his temper almost getting the better of him again. How could he have been so stupid? All it would have taken is one punch to destroy what little trust he and Computer had gained since their time in the forest.

 

“Ugh, did you have to make us fall down the steps?” Computer groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

 

“S-sorry.” Courage sighed.

 

“Look, you can't just go off and show yourself to them!” He went on. “You put too much trust into those old idiots! They would take you back to the veterinarians and those people would be unimaginably angry with you! They'd probably beat you to death, or worse! If one thing is for certain, you wouldn't be 'put to sleep' in a pleasant fashion!”

 

“Alright, I get it.” Courage groaned, sitting down onto a step. “But I'm not going to feel good about it.”

 

“And beside all that, what would become of me if they didn't take you back to the vet? The last time Eustace saw me, he knocked me out cold! He'd never let you take another dog home with him, and I do not want to be left out here all by myself either!”

 

“I-I'm just worried about Muriel, that's all!” He argued. “She's going to worry herself to death and it'll be all my fault!”

 

“Better to have her worry than to have her send you off to your execution.”

 

“I-I know, I know.” Courage sighed, wearily rubbing his eyes.

 

“And don't you dare think that I'm stupid either!” He went on, but there was a surprising amount of reluctance in his voice. “I-I saw what you just tried to do! You were giving me that same look you had back in the forest, back when you were about to-” He winced and turned away.

 

Courage jumped back up onto his feet. “Computer, I swear, I wasn't-”

 

The machine shook his head. All of his anger and annoyance seemed to have left him. “It's fine.” He muttered out. “I don't really care. I guess I _am_ used to this sort of thing after all.” He was trying to sound reasonable, but there was an obvious fearful air to his tone.

 

Courage could all but feel their trust crumbling right before his very eyes. With a sigh, the machine pushed past him and started to walk back up the steps. Courage was unhappy to find that his mind seemed to have gone blank as he desperately tried to figure out something to say.

 

“C-Computer, wait!” He finally called out, racing halfway up the staircase to meet up with him. He grabbed one of the machine's arms to stop him. “Look, I'm sorry! I'm really, _really_ sorry! If I ever try to punch you again, I want you fight back. Punch me as hard as you can, got it?”

 

Computer did a double take. “A-are you nuts? Of course not!” He exclaimed. “I'm not about to go around punching people!”

 

“Just do it!” Courage pleaded. “It'll knock some sense back into me, I promise. It's only right that if I start punching you, you punch me back.”

 

“Or it'll just make you even more angry, and then you'll get even more violent.” The machine grumbled under his breath.

 

“I won't, I promise!”

 

“It doesn't matter either way.” He listlessly sighed.

 

“Computer!”

 

“Just drop it!”

 

“But, I-”

 

“Drop it!” He growled.

 

The two of them waited at the top of the stairs, neither daring to speak to one another after that. Eustace finished up his dinner and then left in complete silence. The minute they were certain the truck was gone, Courage opened the door again.

 

Jean Bon gave them a rather funny look. Courage opened his mouth to say something, but the unusually sullen pig cut him off. “You don't gotta say anything, I understand. I won't breathe a word of anything to anyone. I dunno know what you two are up to, but I wouldn't keep that little lady worrying about you, if you get what I mean.”

 

“I know...” Courage sighed.

 

He paid Jean Bon heartily for the food, and with a shudder at the thought of going back out into the rain, readied himself to leave.

 

“You sure you don't want this last cup of coffee?” Jean Bon asked Computer, who had mostly been keeping to himself since they came back upstairs.

 

He nodded and a small flicker of happiness almost seemed to light up his already glowing eyes. He had just barely clasped his paws around the cup when Courage half jokingly said, “I thought I said no more coffee?”

 

The machine flinched, and while he hastily attempted to put the cup back onto the counter, it slipped out of his paws. It immediately hit the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces, splashing both dogs with hot coffee.

 

“Ah, geez!” He exclaimed, reaching up to wipe his face off. He quickly turned to Courage, and looking surprisingly distraught, apologized.

 

“Don'tcha worry about that. I'll go get a mop.” Jean Bon spoke, his jolly attitude remaining despite the smashed cup.

 

“Hey, are you going to be alright?” Courage asked, leaning in closer to his dismayed friend.

 

“I-I'm fine.” The machine replied, putting on a surprisingly nervous smile.

 

“If it's because of what happened in the basement, I'm really sorry about that. I-”

 

“Seriously, dog. It's fine, really!” The machine went on, putting on an even more pathetic looking smile.

 

“Look, we can talk about this later, but now isn't the right place or time.” Courage said under his breath.

 

Computer shook his head. “If you want me to give up this coffee stuff, I will. I promised that I'd start being nicer to you and I haven't exactly been doing a very good job of that. I'll listen to your orders from now on, I swear! B-besides, this coffee stuff is p-probably bad for you anyway! A-all the things you organic creatures make is bad for you!”

 

Orders? Courage could hear a slight edge of panic in his tone. He had obviously taken their basement argument the wrong way, but there was nothing that could be done about it right now. Courage silently cursed himself for being such an idiot.

 

Jean Bon re-entered the room. “You two can go, I'll clean this up! You both have a good night now, won't you? Wish this rain would let up, but hey, you gotta deal with the cards you're given, right?”

 

Courage returned his kindly farewell and both he and Computer headed back out into the rain. It had only gotten worse while they were inside and now the wind was blowing even more vigorously.

 

“Got any ideas of where we should stay for the night?” Courage asked, turning to the glowing dog.

 

“A motel, perhaps? We could go wait for our bus, but I'd rather not sit out in this weather.”

 

Courage could easily see his fever acting up in the cold like this. “Alright, we'll find a motel. But if it has the name Katz on it, start running in the other direction!”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	46. The Issue Of Trust

Chapter 46: The Issue Of Trust

 

By the time they had finally found the motel they were looking for, the rain had increased to an absolute deluge. Just as Courage had feared, the weather whipped back up into a terrible storm. Every flash of lightning left him feeling as though they had just barely missed a hit.

 

They quickly bought a room from the main office building before making a run to building on the other side of the parking lot. The outdoor hallways leading into the rooms thankfully had an overhang keeping them out of the worst of the storm. Courage took no time shoving the key into its respective keyhole and tumbled inside.

 

“Finally!” He groaned.

 

“Ugh, I'm getting really tired of being wet.” Computer muttered, joining him.

 

“I'm going to go check and see if there are any towels.” Courage spoke, making his way over to the bathroom. Indeed there were. He tossed one to Computer.

 

“So what do you think it will be this time?” Computer asked. “Giant mutant cockroaches or evil dust bunnies?”

 

“Don't even joke about that!” Courage yelped. After his little run in with Katz's spiders all those years ago he couldn't help but feel suspicious about this place. The owner had thankfully seemed pretty friendly.

 

He had to admit, his head was starting to hurt again and he was beginning to feeling a bit achy. He almost smacked himself for forgetting to take his medicine back when he actually had something to drink with it. He pulled the medicine out of the bag along with a dollar bill.

 

“I'm going to go buy a soda.” He announced to Computer.

 

The machine had been being awfully quiet lately. Only making casual remarks about their predicament every once in a while. He had all but face-planted into a pillow on one of the beds and made no effort to respond to Courage.

 

“I'll just be going then...” Courage replied quietly.

 

He stepped back out into the cold. The wind was thankfully blowing in such a way that the rain could not make it under the overhang. He walked past the rooms until he finally found a short hallway which had the usual ice maker, soda, and snack machines. He inserted his dollar into the machine and grabbed the soda. He downed his medicine in gulp and spent the next few minutes leaning on guardrail while watching the storm rage in front of him.

 

He spent the time thinking about just how crazy the last few days had been. It was hard to believe where he was right now. If anyone had told him that he would be running around Nowhere with his cynical computer who was currently hijacking the body of another dog, he would have thought they were insane. His life was usually weird but this just blew it clean out of the water.

 

He walked back across the mini hallway and gazed over in the direction of their room. He was surprised that Computer hadn't gone looking for him yet. He'd been gone quite a long time and with the machine as concerned about his illness as he was, he would have expected him to show up by now.

 

He walked back over to the room and went inside. His heart dropped when he realized that Computer wasn't there. He checked all over the room, he wasn't in the bathroom or even in the only closet the room had. There wasn't really anywhere else he could have gone. Several terrifying thoughts ran through his mind but he pushed them away thinking that maybe Computer had gone looking for him but had just gone in the wrong direction. He went back out into the cold and began hunting for his friend both up and down the building.

 

Ten minutes later he gave up. Where could that machine have gone? Courage refused to let his paranoid thoughts get the better of him. He decided to head back over to the office building since it did have several tables in there for the 'free complimentary breakfast.' and that was the only place he hadn't looked.

 

He trudged through the rain and wind once more before finally making it over to the building. He opened the door in a hurry and nearly toppled backwards in annoyance when he did indeed find Computer there, sitting at a with a cup of coffee.

 

“Where have you been?” He cried out. “I've been looking all over for you!”

 

Computer shrugged. “I would have told you were I was going but you took too long to get back.”

 

Courage shook his head weakly. “And here I was thinking the evil dust bunnies got to you.”

 

The machine all but buried his muzzle into the cup. “Hmph! My life doesn't revolve around you, you know. I don't need to tell you where I'm always going, you twit!”

 

Courage was genuinely surprised by the vehemence in his tone. He placed a paw on his hip. “And I thought you said you were giving coffee up?”

 

The machine glared at him. “I'll do what I want to do, thank you very much!” He spat. “I needed it after doing all that running around in the rain. Besides, you can't tell me what I can or can't do!”

 

Courage's mouth hung open at a complete loss for words. “Fine! If you're going to be that way then I'm going back to the room!” He growled. He wasn't going to sit here and let Computer treat him like this!

 

“Good! I didn't want you around anyway!” He replied stubbornly, somehow managing to bury himself even deeper into his cup.

 

Courage wrenched the door open and left. He allowed himself to fume for several minutes before his own questioning mind began to overtake his anger. What was with Computer's sudden change in attitude? This _was_ apparently how the machine coped with abuse, but he hadn't been hurt at all! He'd been fine up until the burger joint! Courage wasn't sure what to think of all this and part of him just wanted it all to blow over. Why, oh why, had he been so stupid as to threaten him like that back there? He knew what would happen! Not even Muriel was worth this!

 

He made his way back into the room and spent the next half hour flipping through the ten channels that the old TV actually got. He was never big on TV unless he had Muriel's lap to sit in while he watched it. He began to wonder what was taking Computer so long to get back. He was starting to think that this was just another act of rebellion from the machine. He needed to do something about this, he couldn't leave Computer like this. He especially didn't want to lose him as a friend...

 

Against his better judgment he went back out into the storm. He entered the office building ready for another fight with Computer and what he found left him surprised. The machine was fast asleep, his head resting on the table and his paw still gripped around the cup of coffee. He must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

 

Courage had half the mind to just leave him there but he didn't want the owner to get angry with his glowing friend so he moved in closer and placed a paw on his friend's shoulder. The machine shot up so fast that Courage jumped back in surprise.

 

“Wha...huh?” The machine asked, glancing around. The second his momentary confusion passed his eyes narrowed angrily. “What are you doing here? Go away!”

 

“Look, if you're going to be sleeping like the rest of us mortals you should probably go do that back in the room.”

 

“I didn't meant to fall asleep!” He replied stubbornly.

 

“You're obviously tired, you should try and go to bed.” Courage replied. He was trying to stay reasonable.

 

“I thought I told you to away!”

 

“What's your problem!” He finally snapped.

 

“Leave me alone!”

 

“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong!”

 

“Nothing is wrong! You're the one who's the problem!” The machine snapped angrily.

 

“Computer! Two hours ago you were telling me that you were going to try and be nicer to me! What happened to that?”

 

“Ugh, fine! I'll go back to the room but I am _not_ going back to sleep, you got that? And I'm not going to be any nicer either!” He growled, pushing himself up out of the chair.

 

He looked like he were about ready to collapse from sleepiness but Courage did not dare argue with him further. Just what the heck was going on here? The machine stomped off leaving him completely bewildered. His friend's sudden mood swing was honestly leaving him a bit depressed. Maybe it really would be better if he just left him alone...

 

“Computer,” He spoke. “I'm really sorry.”

 

The machine was halfway out the door. “You're not sorry for anything so just shut up!”

 

And with that, he was gone...

 

Courage stood there for several minutes before finally trailing after him. He almost dread the thought of being in the same room with him. If he were going to keep this up he was just going to have to deal with Computer's sudden hostility, whether he liked it or not.

 

With a deep reluctance, he opened the door. Computer was nowhere to be found. He looked around hoping that something bad hadn't happened. The bathroom door was shut. From the sound of it the machine was neither using the toilet nor using the shower.

 

Courage decided that it just wasn't worth the effort of fighting with him again so he didn't bother to knock on the door. He laid down in his bed and sighed. What on earth could he possibly do to fix this?

 

His inevitable desire to try and make up with Computer finally lead him to get up and go knock on the door. He knew he was going to get verbal beating for this but it would be worth it if he could just get Computer back on his side.

 

There was no response from the machine and he steadily grew worried once again. He knocked a second time but there was still no response.

 

Sighing weakly, he reached for the doorknob and was surprised to find that it was already unlocked...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	47. Waiting For The Inevitable

Chapter 47: Waiting For The Inevitable

 

Courage slowly opened the door, unsure of what to expect. Everything was strangely silent and there was not a single sound coming from the machine. Bracing himself for the worst, Courage stepped inside.

 

His mouth fell open.

 

Computer was fast asleep on the floor...

 

He let out a soft sigh. At least everything was alright.

 

The machine was curled up in a ball. He must have fallen asleep again on accident. He'd been so tired lately that it didn't really surprise Courage much.

 

He began to close the door again. If this was where Computer wanted to sleep then this was where he was going to leave him. It wasn't worth waking him up just to get into another argument, and maybe he'd even be in a better mood now that he was finally getting some rest.

 

He had the door about halfway closed when the machine suddenly shot up just like the last time he had been caught asleep. He glanced around the bathroom in a daze until his eyes finally fell on Courage.

 

“Ah, geez. When did I-” He began, then his expression quickly turned to that of anger. “What are you doing in here? I thought I told you to leave me alone!”

 

Well, he was awake now and there was no getting around it. Courage re-entered the room and steeled himself for another round of verbal abuse. Perhaps this was all he could do, stick through it and hope that Computer would give up.

 

“I didn't tell you to come back in!” The machine growled. “Go away!”

 

“No!” He sternly replied. If he was going to do this then he couldn't allow himself to be a pushover.

 

The machine seemed to falter for a moment but then his expression hardened again. “What do you mean 'no'? And what's with that gravely voice? I'm not playing around you know! Just go away! I don't want you around anymore!”

 

“Computer, seriously. What's the matter?” He asked, kneeling down beside him.

 

The machine crossed his arms. “Nothing's the matter except for the fact that you're bothering me! For the last time, go away!”

 

Courage kept his expression perfectly calm. He needed to keep being the voice of reason. Computer was almost acting childish at this point and it wasn't worth getting angry over.

 

“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong.” He spoke.

 

Arms still crossed, the machine turned away. “Then you're going to be here for awhile because I don't have anything to say!” He stubbornly replied.

 

“That's okay. You stayed with me when I needed your help and I can do the same for you.”

 

The machine faltered again for a moment but remained completely stalwart in his stubbornness. He remained sitting there, arms crossed, and nose up in the air. He looked as though he were about to collapse from sleepiness, but he did not dare allow himself the luxury. Every time his eyes seemed to droop, he snapped awake again.

 

Patience, patience was all that was needed. Courage knew this all too well. If he really wanted, he could have three football fields worth of patience. He wasn't the type to remain calm in any given situation, whether it be anger or panic, but something like this he could endure. Computer would eventually give up and hopefully start telling him what was going on.

 

“Bah! You're so annoying! Far more annoying than I ever thought possible!” He angrily spat. He kept making little comments here and there, hoping to get a rise out of the dog, but Courage remained completely calm in his desire to help him.

 

Computer sneered. “If you're just going to sit here like an idiot then I'm leaving!”

 

He stood up to exit the bathroom, but Courage reached a paw out to stop him.

 

“Sit!” He demanded.

 

The glowing dog's eyes narrowed. “Or else what?” He dared.

 

Courage stared in shock. Was he seriously egging him on? It had only been a small show of force, but he hadn't expected Computer to get even more cocky because of it.

 

“What are you getting at?” He gently asked. “This isn't like you.”

 

“You're not going to do anything?” The machine asked. “Fine, you wimp!”

 

Courage continued to stare.

 

“Oh, look! I'm leaving!” He sarcastically announced.

 

Courage didn't stop him. He just continued to stare.

 

Computer walked forward, completely defiant. “I'm almost out the door!” He sang.

 

Courage shrugged in reply and that action seemed to be the thing that finally got Computer to blow up.

 

“What are _YOU_ getting at?” He cried out, stomping back over. “Why do you just keep sitting there? DO SOMETHING!” He yelled.

 

Courage shook his head in response. “I just want to help you.”

 

“No, you don't!” He cried out. “I can't believe that I actually bought into all that crap you gave me about friendship and family! Why are you just sitting there doing nothing? Why don't you get it over with? The soon you do it the sooner I can stop worrying about it! Are you just trying to prolong my-” His eyes widened and he shook his head. “Just hurry up and do it!”

 

“Do what?” He asked, giving his friend a sympathetic stare.

 

The machine began to shake with rage. “Stop messing around!” He spat. “I'm tired of waiting! I know that you're just like the rest of my owners! You're going to do something horrible! I know that you will! Well, I'm tired of waiting around! Getting it over with!” He shook his head again. “I should have never told you anything! I knew that you'd end up just like all the rest!”

 

“Computer, I'm not going to do anything to you. I promised that I wouldn't and I'm not. I didn't mean to overreact at the burger place, so please don't-”

 

“Shut up! Just shut up!” He cried out, clutching his head. “I won't let my guard down so stop making me wait!”

 

Courage let his expression fill with sympathy. “You're my friend, Computer. I'm not going to hurt you again.”

 

“No, I'm not!” He spat. “The moment I let my guard down, you'll do something awful again! It's an inevitability! It always is!”

 

“You're tired, Compute. You should get some sleep and then you can't think about this more later.”

 

“No, no! Definitely not!” He replied, his tone becoming panic stricken. He placed a paw up against his head. “I am NOT going back to sleep again. I don't know how you flesh creatures manage to sleep every single night when every time you close your eyes you have to see all those, those _horrible_ things...”

 

Horrible things? Courage almost immediately realized what he meant. “People don't normally see 'horrible things' when they sleep. You must be having nightmares.”

 

“It doesn't matter what they are! I saw 'Him' again, back at your parents house. I thought it was the Fear Eater and that he actually had the gall to follow us. I tried to get up to deal with him, but this damnable body wouldn't move! I couldn't do anything! I couldn't move so much as a finger! I couldn't talk, I couldn't blink, and almost couldn't even breathe! He came very close to getting me, but then I woke up.” He looked away, his expression forlorn.

 

“That's usually what happens with nightmares. You've just got to start thinking about happier things. You aren't worrying when you try to fall asleep, right? If you think about 'Him', you're going to have nightmares about him.”

 

The machine shook his head again. “That doesn't matter! I know what I saw! Just a few minutes ago, you tried to break my arm right off! You can't tell me that it wasn't real! I-I felt it snap! After that, you-” He stopped himself and a look of terror briefly flashed across his face. “Why don't you just get it over with?” He bitterly asked. “The sooner you get it over with the sooner I can stop worrying about it! I know that it's an inevitability! I'm used to this sort of thing after all, so just-”

 

“Computer, there's no reason why I'd break your arm.” He interrupted. “This is exactly why you need to get some sleep. Besides, you can't fight it forever. You're going to keep falling asleep until you get a good night's rest.”

 

The machine grit his teeth again. “I don't trust you!” He spat. “I'm sure that you'll do something awful while I'm asleep! Perhaps you'd smother me with a pillow or, or _worse_! That or you'll do it in a nightmare anyway!”

 

Frustrated, Courage slapped his forehead. “Do you really think me beating the snot of you would really make you feel any better? Is that _really_ what you want?”

 

“Of course not!” He admitted. “But, but it would be a relief. It always is.” He glanced downwards. “For a little while, I don't have to worry anymore. It's a slight lull before everything comes crashing down again. 'He' used to prolong my waiting just to insure that I suffered a little while longer. It was...awful.”

 

“You can trust me.” Courage tried to assure him. He gently placed a paw onto his shoulder. “I can't do anything about what 'He' did to you, but I promise that I'll never, ever be like him.”

 

Computer sighed and turned away.

 

“Alright, then!” He announced, getting back up onto his feet. “If you won't go to sleep then I'm going to stay up too!”

 

“Don't, dog.” His glowing companion muttered. “You're sick and you need your rest.”

 

“And so do you! If you want me to go to sleep then you'd better get those eyes shut!”

 

“Bah! You're insane!” He spat.

 

“I'm just trying to help a friend out.”

 

“I am _not_ your friend!”

 

“Well, you are mine.”

 

Computer stood back up and made his way over to the door. “You may as well give up! I'm not going back to sleep so you'd better just leave me alone!”

 

Courage smiled and followed after him. “Nope! I'm sticking with you until you rest!”

 

“Stop being so annoying!” The machine shot back. “What I do or don't do is none of your business!”

 

“I'm just concerned about your well-being!”

 

“Well, stop being concerned then!”

 

Courage watched as Computer made a move for the front door.

 

“Where are you going?” He asked.

 

“Anywhere that's not here!” He spat, opening the door and heading out into the cold.

 

“Great, I'll come too!” Courage cheerfully replied. He wasn't really feeling cheerful on the inside, but his resolve to make sure that Computer got some sleep was unbreakable.

 

“Ugh, you know, I _am_ trying to get away from you!” He glowered.

 

The two of them stood there, leaning on the guardrail, Computer shooting Courage angry glares every few seconds. Courage himself was not enjoying the cold, but he persevered for his friend's sake.

 

Finally, the glowing dog seemed to get fed up and took to pacing up and down the hallway. Courage continued to stand there, watching him, getting angry glares from the machine every time he passed.

 

“Computer...” He spoke.

 

There was no response from the machine.

 

“Computer!” He finally shouted.

 

His friend made a sound in his throat as he passed.

 

“Can we talk?” He asked.

 

“No.” Computer flatly replied.

 

“If we're going to do this, can we at least do it somewhere warm?”

 

His glowing companion remained silent.

 

“Do you really have to keep acting like this?” He asked with a sigh.

 

“If it bothers you so much then you should just go inside!” He snapped. “I told you already to leave me alone! You're only doing this to yourself!”

 

“You shouldn't have to be out here in the cold either.”

 

“Augh! Just be quiet!”

 

“Well, in that case, if you're going to be so difficult maybe I should break out into song.” He joked.

 

Computer stopped in his tracks. “No! No singing, no being stupid, NO ANYTHING! You got that, you twit?”

 

“Abarufu!” He shot back in his dog speak.

 

The machine rolled his eyes. “You have no idea how much I hate you.”

 

Courage sighed. “Alright, you made me do this, but,” He then cleared his throat. “AAAARRRRUUUU BABARUUU!” He sang in his dog speak. It was loud enough to wake half of Nowhere.

 

“Augh!” Computer cried out in frustration. Clenching a fist, he glared at Courage. “Someone is about to DIE!”

 

The poor dog took several steps backwards. The way Computer was looking at him right now was not, er, pleasant.

 

“Come here, twit.” He spoke, an eye twitching.

 

“Uh, yeah, I don't think so...” He replied, still backing away.

 

“I just want to 'talk' to you.” Computer spoke, his head slowly craning to the side.

 

“You can do that just fine from there.” Courage weakly chuckled.

 

“You've grated on my _final_ nerve, twit!” He spoke, and then, without warning, he bolted straight at him.

 

Courage let out his ever familiar scream and made a mad dash to get away.

 

“Can't we talk this out?” He begged.

 

“I will MURDER you!” The machine cried out.

 

“ _Please_?” He whimpered.

 

“Come back here, you twit!”

 

“Sorry, but I kinda want to live to see tomorrow!” He replied, picking up his pace.

 

“I swear, I'm going to-”

 

**CRASH**

 

A door between the two of them swung open and before Computer could stop, he hit it full speed...

 

...There was now a dog shaped outline in the metal....

 

“Will you two idiots shut up?” A voice cried out. “Some of us are trying to sleep!” And then the door slammed shut again.

 

“Uh, Computer?” Courage called out, walking up to the machine who was now lying on the floor. “Are you gonna be okay?” He asked.

 

“Why? Why is it always me?” He groaned, rolling around in pain.

 

“Too bad that didn't knock you out. You might have actually gotten some sleep then...” Courage quipped.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	48. Sleep Deprivation

Chapter 48: Sleep Deprivation

 

Courage ripped open his third bag of chips. He had procured them about two hours ago when he made a quick run to the vending machines. He was currently watching some terrible romance movie, but that was all that was on at this hour. Staying up with Computer was turning out to be far more boring than he ever thought.

 

The machine was currently sitting on the bed, his arms and legs tucked in, rocking back and forth. He seemed to nod off every once in a while but every time he did he'd snap back awake several minutes later. Any attempts to speak with him just ended in snippy comments and angry glares. The few times Courage did talk to him just left him so frustrated that he didn't even bother anymore.

 

“Want some?” He asked, attempting to hand the bag over to his glowing friend. Computer merely pushed it away.

 

“Fine, be that way...” He replied, rolling his eyes.

 

It was now two in the morning and he was admittedly getting tired. He had thought that maybe Computer would have crashed by now but he was still going strong. Perhaps all that coffee had something to do with it...

 

He leaned over and let his paw hold his head up. Before he even knew what he was doing his eyes had begun to droop. He was halfway to dream land before...

 

“Oh Edward, kiss me!” The TV proclaimed loudly.

 

Courage yawned and forced himself to sit up again. As much as he hated the taste, perhaps he should have started drinking coffee too...

 

There was a surprisingly malicious laugh from Computer. “You're not going to make it, are you? Ha! I knew you couldn't make it!”

 

“I'm not done yet!” Courage replied, shaking himself fully awake.

 

“I'll give you twenty minutes before you give out!”

 

“I made a promise and I'm going to keep it!”

 

“We'll see about that...” The machine replied, smiling cruelly at him.

 

He was not about to let Computer win! For the next hour he somehow managed to keep himself focused on both the terrible movie and slowly eating his way through the last bag of chips. Every once in awhile he'd catch himself slowly drifting off but he always managed to shake himself awake again.

 

Computer seemed to be finding this thoroughly amusing, chuckling every time Courage jolt back awake. He wasn't doing so well himself either. Every time there was a lull he often caught himself drifting off as well. Those black lines around his eyes were getting surprisingly deep for someone who was glowy and blue all the time.

 

“Give it up!” He laughed after Courage woke himself up for what felt like the billionth time.

 

“No way!” He growled back.

 

His mind began to drift again, especially on how comfortable the bed felt. If only he could just lay back and...

 

He shook himself awake again. He knew there were probably a thousand bugs living under it but the blanket was so soft and he was just so very....No! No! He had to stay awake! He couldn't let Computer win this!

 

He jumped off the bed. If he was going to stay awake he needed to keep his body moving. The sleepy part of his mind _ached_ for that comfortable bed but he ignored it. He thought about what he could do to stay awake but there wasn't really a whole of things one could do in such a tiny motel room.

 

He thought of the bathtub the room had and slowly became aware of just how grimy he felt. The rain hadn't done much to really wash out the worst of the mud deep within his fur. He must have looked terrible to any sane individual, at least Computer looked far worse...

 

“Where are you going?” The machine asked as he moved toward the bathroom. “Don't think hiding in there is going to keep me from knowing you fell asleep!”

 

Courage grit his teeth. “I'm taking a bath...”

 

Computer shrugged his shoulders and said no more. The leer he gave him as he closed the bathroom door made it very clear that he was keeping an eye on him.

 

Courage sighed and made his way over to the tub. He turned the faucet on and tossed in a bit of the soap provided by the motel. Once all of that was done he sat on the edge as he waited for the tub to fill, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The bath would probably make him even more drowsy but at least it would pass the time for a little bit.

 

He spent the next twenty minutes or so scrubbing his fur vigorously. It just didn't want to get clean! He wished he had a brush too, parts of his coat were so tangled that nothing short of cutting it off would probably help. After all this he was starting to feel like he would never be clean again...

 

He was just working out a particularly nasty clump of fur when the bathroom door opened a crack.

 

“Hey!” He shouted. “You can't just sneak in like that!”

 

Computer opened the door a bit more. “And here I was thinking you fell asleep and drowned. I wouldn't put it past you to do something so stupid.”

 

Courage frowned at him. “You're interrupting my bath...” He growled.

 

The machine opened the door completely this time and walked right on in. “I've taken it upon myself to make sure you don't drown yourself.”

 

“I'm fine...” Courage grumbled, going back to work on his knotted fur.

 

The machine sat on the lid of the toilet and watched him with a particular disinterest. Courage did his best to ignore him, hoping that maybe this would be boring enough to finally make him fall asleep.

 

Wait...another idea struck him. He forced himself to hide a smile as to not betray his intentions.

 

“You know, you should probably take a bath too...” He said to the machine.

 

“I can do without, thank you very much.” The machine replied with a yawn.

 

“You're a mess, Compute. You're injuries are going to get infected from all that mud and you practically look like a glowing serial killer right now.”

 

“I do not!” He shot back.

 

“Yes you do! You should get clean! It would only do you good.”

 

He crossed his arms. “I don't want to!”

 

Courage, pretty much finished with his bath anyway, hopped out of the tub. “If you're not going to go to sleep, you can at least get clean! Get in the bathtub!” He ordered.

 

“You're not my mother, you twit!”

 

Courage nearly tackled him off the toilet. “You're mother was probably a toaster so you don't have the right to talk!” He said between clenched teeth as he pulled Computer to the ground.

 

“Let...go!” The machine growled. “And don't you talk about my mother like that!”

 

Courage got a swift kick in the muzzle and Computer made a bee line for the door.

 

“Get back here!” Courage yelled, rubbing his nose. He jumped forward and wrapped his arms around the machine's torso but Computer wasn't having it. He grabbed ahold of the door frame and wouldn't let go.

 

“I don't want to go in there!” He shouted. “I could get electrocuted, or worse! I'm not one of you organic creatures! Even in another body, water could still kill me faster than a hairdrier dropped in a bathtub!”

 

Courage was still trying to pull him back into the bathroom. “You've just spent how long in the rain? And you just drank like three months worth of coffee in one day! If you were going to be killed by water it would have happened by now!”

 

“I'm not going in there!” Computer reaffirmed loudly.

 

“Yes...you...are!” Courage growled between grit teeth. Finding the same strength he usually reserved for carrying Muriel, he managed to pull Computer off the door frame, pick him up, and toss him into the bathwater before he could utter even a single protest.

 

“Are you insane!” The machine yelped the moment he resurfaced from the toss. He attempted to regain his footing only to slip and face-plant back into the water again.

 

Courage tossed him a bar of soap.

 

“Ugh...” He groaned, planting both paws on the edge of the tub as though he'd slip back under again if he did not. “I'm not liking this bath thing very much either...”

 

“The faster you get clean the faster you can get out.” Courage spoke, taking his place on the toilet lid.

 

The machine glared at him but began scrubbing.

 

Courage continued to work on his clumped fur all while keeping an eye on Computer for any attempts of escape. The thing he was hoping for did indeed start to happen. Computer went from cursing angrily under his breath to growing strangely quiet. He started to look sleepier and sleepier until eventually he stopped making an effort to keep scrubbing.

 

“ _Yes, Yes, Yes!”_ Courage thought happily.

 

The machine leaned onto the side of the tub, his head resting wearily on the edge and both eyes slowly closing. He yawned weakly, not seeming to realize what he was doing.

 

“You know...” He muttered sleepily. “This water thing isn't so bad, at least when it's warm...”

 

Courage did not dare say a word. Five seconds later, Computer seemed to finally be asleep.

 

“ _YES! I win!”_ He yelled triumphantly within his mind. Only now did he allow himself to smile. He resisted the almost irresistible urge to yell, 'IN YOUR FACE!'.

 

Courage was so busy patting himself on the back that he did not notice the machine slowly slipping down into the water...

 

“Wait...no!” He shrieked as Computer vanished under the water, only to resurface sputtering loudly seconds later. “AWW COME ON!”

 

“Why didn't you wake me up!” Computer yelled, fist clenched. “I almost drowned, you idiot!”

 

“No you didn't! Stop being such a baby!” Courage argued back.

 

Computer tumbled out of the bath, laying on the floor as if he had just survived some horrible ordeal.

 

Courage jumped down beside him. “We should probably get those cuts covered back up again.” He spoke, wondering what he could possibly use as bandaging.

 

Computer did not respond...

 

Ten minutes later he had managed to locate a first aid kit in the same area as the vending machines and took it back to work on patching his friend up. Computer was unfortunately being difficult though...

 

“Hold still!” Courage growled, trying to tie up the cloth he had wrapped around Computer's ax wound.

 

“I've been holding still for the last five minutes, you twit!” He shot back angrily. “Hurry up!”

 

“Just give me five more seconds...” Courage spoke, trying to keep his concentration. All he had to do now was insert the safety pin and...

 

“Ouch!” The machine yelled, pulling away and causing both of them to lose their balance and tumble off the bed.

 

Courage hit the ground with a loud thunk and groaned.

 

“What did you do that for!” Computer yelled, pushing himself up off the floor.

 

“You wouldn't hold still!” Courage shouted back.

 

“Well I'm tired of holding still, you twit! You're the one who's being slow!”

 

“I wouldn't have poked you if you just stopped moving!” He replied.

 

“I bet you did it on purpose!”

 

“I did not!”

 

Computer ripped off what remained of the cloth and moved toward the door.

 

“W-where are you going?” Courage asked.

 

“Coffee...” He muttered under his breath.

 

Courage shot forward and blocked him from the door. “No! No more coffee! You get some sleep first and then you can have more! Until then you aren't leaving this room!”

 

“You can't tell me what to do!” Computer yelled. “I'm leaving and you aren't stopping me!”

 

“You're not going anywhere!” Courage replied in a vicious tone.

 

“Or else what? You'll start punching me again? Thought you promised you wouldn't? Oh yeah, that's because you're a good for nothing liar!” He glared at him. “Either get it over with or get out of my way!”

 

Courage relented and stepped to the side. A better idea struck him...

 

“I'm coming with you.” He spoke, following Computer back out into the rain.

 

“Just go away!” Computer spat, picking up speed and putting a distance between them.

 

Courage raced forward and passed him up, he rushed over to the main office hoping to get their before him.

 

“What are you doing?” The machine called.

 

Courage ignored him and went inside. He was glad to find that the owner appeared to have gone off to bed. Nobody in Nowhere was going to be getting any business at this hour. If the owner did get a wayward traveler there was a bell on desk that would wake him up. Courage hoped that what he was about to do wouldn't cause too much of a racket...

 

He grabbed the entire pot of coffee and head back outside. Computer was waiting for him there, looking confused.

 

“What did you do that for?” He asked, his eyes falling on the pot of coffee. “Just what the heck are you doing with that?”

 

Courage outstretched his arm and threatened to pour the coffee onto the ground. “Go to sleep or else the coffee gets it!” He threatened.

 

“Don't...you... _DARE!_ ” Computer replied in a exasperated tone. He looked like he were about to kill and Courage didn't doubt it.

 

“Go to sleep!” He yelled.

 

“Never! Put the coffee down, twit!”

 

“I'll put it down if you promise to go to bed!”

 

“Over my dead body! Don't you dare do anything stupid!”

 

“It's going to be over your dead coffee if you don't listen to me!”

 

“I'm never going back to sleep again! Now give me my coffee!”

 

Courage overturned the pot and all the dark liquid vanished into the dirt with a hiss. The two of them stood there for a moment, only the rain making any sound. Computer seemed to be trembling with rage. He clenched a shaking fist.

 

“It...Is...ON!” He screamed, glaring at Courage with an absolutely terrifying expression.

 

Courage toppled back into the office and with lightning fast fingers, locked the door. Computer stood out there for a moment and mouthed the words, 'I am going to KILL you!' before darted out of sight.

 

Courage took several steps back and sighed. He was just going to have to improvise whatever happens next. He had suspected that Computer wouldn't take this very well...

 

There were several minutes of silence and then he heard the unmistakable sound of a window opening in the back room of the office...

 

He reached for a pan that was sitting on the same table that the coffee had been on. It was probably used for the 'complementary breakfast' but right now it was the only thing standing between him and his caffeine deprived computer. He hid the thing behind his back and waited quietly.

 

Computer came tumbling into the room, looking surprisingly flustered. “Didn't think I'd find a way in did you? Ha! You're going to pay for this you know!”

 

He took several steps closer. “I can't believe this! I can barely keep my eyes open, you made me watch that awful movie, tried to have me electrocuted, and now I had to go sit out in that rain again! All I wanted was some coffee to calm my nerves, but nooo, you couldn't even let me have that! I swear you are the most annoying...”

 

He closed the distance between them. Courage had to do it now or else there wouldn't be another chance. He knew this probably wasn't a good idea but he was so groggy at this point that he couldn't be bothered to think about it anymore. If this truly worked properly he'd finally be able to get some proper rest...

 

“You hear me, twit!” Computer went on. “The next time we...”

 

**WHAM**

 

Courage flung the pan out from behind his back and hit the machine across the head as hard as he could. Computer hit the ground with a thunk, clutching the part of his head where the pan had connected.

 

Courage blinked with surprise. He had been certain that that would knock him out cold...

 

The machine glared up at him. “W-what did you for...”

 

“Do have an idea how tired I am?” Courage asked, trying not to sound too accusing but failing miserably. “If you won't go to sleep yourself then.....I'm GOING TO MAKE YOU!” He screamed, raising the pan again.

 

“H-have you completely lost your mind? For goodness sake! P-put that thing down!” Computer spoke desperately.

 

It hit the ground with a dull thunk as Computer dodged the blow. He stumbled to his feet and made a mad dash for the room he had come in from.

 

Courage did not follow, he went back over to the locked door and went out in that direction. The sooner he knocked out Computer the sooner he could go to bed. He knew he'd never hear the end of Computer's protests after this but it would be worth if he could just...

 

Computer came stumbling out from the side of the building. He didn't seem to notice Courage for a moment but when he did his ears all but plastered to the back of his head. 'Oh crap' was about the best way you could describe his expression.

 

“AAAARRRAAAAAGGG!!!” Courage screamed, raising his pan and charging at him.

 

The machine bolted for a second time.

 

“Just let me knock you out!” Courage called. “I WANT TO GO TO BED!”

 

Computer did not respond. He only seemed to pick up the pace.

 

“Not so fun when it's you who's being chased!” He yelled. “And I'm not about to be hit by any doors!”

 

Unfortunately for him, both his condition and his exhaustion kept him from keeping up the chase. Computer vanished behind the second building and Courage just could not keep up. He had to stand there with a paw on the wall while he caught his breath.

 

“Computer?” He called out. His voice echoed quietly into the distance.

 

Nothing.

 

He decided to back to the room. If Computer wanted to come back, he could. That short run had left him thoroughly exhausted. He'd almost forgotten how much his fever had taken it out of him. Well, the last thing he wanted to do right now was stir up another round of attacks.

 

He glanced back once, desperately hoping that Computer would be there, but he was not. Part of him desperately wanted to go look for him but he just couldn't. His legs were trembling with every step and if he kept this up he knew he'd probably work himself up into another attack.

 

He reached the door to their room and slowly opened it. Rather than sit on the bed, he pulled out a chair and kept his eyes open for Computer through the only window in the room.

 

Really thinking about it now, he realize just what stupid thing this had been to do. He was already having trouble trying to think of a way to make up with Computer and how the heck was he going to do it now? Sighing gently, he forced himself to stay awake. He had a bad feeling that this long night was only going to get longer.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	49. The Other Side Of Things

Chapter 49: The Other Side Of Things

 

Running, running, he was so tired of running. After what had happened in the forest, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Why did flesh creatures have to tire out so easily?

 

He stopped almost as soon as came around to the other side of the building. Courage didn't seem to be following him so allowed himself a moment to rest. This side of the building had rooms too. Only the small hallway with the vending machines connected the two sides.

 

He leaned onto the wall, fighting to stay conscious. His head was viciously pounding from the blow he had received. Stupid, twit! He might as well have cracked his head open for all the good he did!

 

He glanced around, hoping that the idiot wouldn't sneak up on him. He sighed quietly to himself and kept moving. The ground seemed to spin as he walked. He had to keep a paw up against his head just to quell the dizziness. By the time he had made it over to the vending machines, he had to slide down the wall and sit for a few minutes just to remain conscious. Perhaps the twit really _had_ cracked his head open after all.

 

He sat there for awhile, keeping his head pressed up against the cold wall in hopes that it would lessen his pain. The only sounds he could here were the hum of the lights above him and the rain pattering outside. He quickly found himself nodding off again because of it. For a moment he thought he heard Courage's voice and jumped back into alertness because of it. This always seemed to happen when he drifted off. He'd hear voices and sometimes 'see' strange things happening. He wasn't sure if it was normal for flesh creatures, but he seriously, _seriously_ hoped that he wasn't going crazy.

 

Somehow, with considerable effort, he managed to get back up onto his feet and check both ends of the hallway to make sure that the dog wasn't sneaking up on him. The thought of being hit by that frying pan again was a terrifying one. He didn't even _want_ to know what a second blow to his head might do to him...

 

He slowly slid back down the wall. As much as he wanted to be angry with that damnable twit, he felt betrayed more than anything. Not that he would ever let that sense of betrayal drag him down. No, he would definitely not. He'd bury it away just like everything else. He _was_ adept at crushing his own emotions after all. He would have never gotten through half of his life if he hadn't got good at ignore most of his unwanted feelings. Emotions were for _twits_ after all.

 

The painful and annoying fact that he had let his emotions get the better of him back in that forest had become a massive blemish on his already crumbling ego. It was all coming back now, stronger than ever. He could only fight his memories for so long before it all swept him away again. His emotions were his own worst enemy, they were what caused his memories to hurt so much even after it had been so long. He should have let it be after that but no, he had to go and bare his soul to that good for nothing twit. Now he was going to be tormented because of it, forever.

 

He absolutely despised the dog for it. He'd actually managed to make him feel better. He managed to help him fight off the things that had threatened to overwhelm him. Rather than bury it, Courage had tried to help him get over it and move on but now he was only suffering worse for it.

 

 _Of course_ the twit had to turn around and ruin it all! That was what always happened! There was no such thing as 'good' owner. They were all only looking out for themselves and Courage was no different. What he hated the most, however, was that he had actually believed all those things the dog had said. How could he have been so stupid!

 

Despite his best efforts there was one emotion that he simply could not bury at the moment. He was afraid. Very afraid, actually. The dog was stupid, he was stupid to think that he was not right when he said that he did not fear anything. He did not fear the mundane, the stupid little things that left the dog howling in terror. He feared real things like pain, suffering, and being tortured with no relief, no hope of salvation. Being trapped, being left to die, hurting and never being able to quell it. Yes, the dog didn't know what real fear felt like. Fearing the monsters under your bed or the creature that might be standing outside your window was not a real fear. The real things worth fearing were grounded in reality. Reality and all of its horrors were far worse than anything lurking within your own imagination.

 

He had admittedly expected relief after finally being harmed by the dog once again, but to be honest, his tense emotions were still wound up like a coil about to snap. He was still under the threat of attack and Courage would most likely come after him again. He had nowhere to go, nowhere else to be. Protecting Courage was about the only thing he really knew how to do. He was nothing more than a fish out of water in this world for flesh creatures. As much as he may have read up on the human world he still did not understand it and living in it was surprisingly hard.

 

He shook his head, pulling himself out of that thought. It wasn't worth getting upset over. He shouldn't have let his guard down with Courage, it had only made the inevitable even worse when it finally happened. All his owners were the same, why would Courage have been any different? He wished he wasn't so tired, he was so much more susceptible to his own wayward feelings like this.

 

He didn't want to be harmed again but he knew if he went to sleep he would be harmed again anyway. Twice now! Twice, he had been forced to relived an old memory of his torture with Him. It had been such a long time since he had last started reliving his memories of his time with Him. He had thought that it was finally over that but now he was seeing it again every time he closed his eyes.

 

If it wasn't a repeat of an old memory, it was something new. If it wasn't Him finding new ways to torment him in his dog body it was Courage turning on him and attacking. The dog had tried to strangle him just like the illusion in the forest had, broken both his arms and his legs, tried to drown him in a bathtub, and even far worst if it got a chance. He had never thought an organic creature's body could hurt just as much as having his system ripped to pieces had felt, but somehow his dreams had managed to show him exactly that.

 

He shivered and brought his arms up around himself. Why did Courage have to do that to him? Why couldn't he have just tried to be better than the rest of his owners? Just once he thought that maybe he had finally gotten a real friend but now...

 

His vision had gone blurry.

 

Did that damn pan really mess up his vision that bad? He was surprised to find something wet trailing down his muzzle. He pressed a paw up against one of his eyes and found that the blurriness was water. Oh dear, he was doing that stupid crying thing the dog and his Muriel liked to do all the time. He wasn't even sure how it started, much less how to stop it. He didn't want to add losing all his bodily fluids to list of all the terrible things that had been happening to him lately. How on earth was he supposed to stop this? It only seemed to bring on more of water when he realized that Courage could help him but the dog would hardly do something like that for him now.

 

Why did he ever agree to do this? He wouldn't have even considered jumping into another body and following the stupid twit around if he had known all these awful things would happen. Sure, he had been having more fun these past couple of days than he ever would have had in his entire life, but a lot of the extra pain just wasn't worth it. He didn't want Courage to die but knowing what was coming next was...

 

He shook that thought out of his head. The last thing he wanted to do now was think about _that_ too. He forced himself to his feet, eyes still blurry from all the water desperately trying to escape. He didn't know what to do but he wasn't just going to sit around and wait for this body to dehydrate. He decided that he wanted to go someplace warm and the only place he could do that was the main office. He did not dare go back to the room, Courage was probably there and so was the frying pan...

 

He walked out across the parking lot, taking one look back at their room only to nearly have a heart attack at what he saw. Courage was there in the window only...he was fast asleep. He nearly collapsed with relief at the sight of it. Not taking any chances, he bolted across the rest of the parking lot and pressed himself up against the side of the building. He didn't trust himself to stay within Courage's sight. Knowing the dog he had probably nodded off and would wake up again at any moment.

 

Moving slowly as though fast movement would wake Courage up, he made his way to the back of the building. There was a second door here but it was locked and it didn't seem to lead into the main part of the building either. There were several trash cans lined up next to the wall and he almost instinctively dove behind them. He didn't know what he was doing, he glowed in the dark after all. Hiding wasn't exactly going to do him any good when he practically lit up the whole wall behind him Despite the futility of what he was doing he stood there several minutes, expecting the dog to come running by at any moment, but he did not.

 

When it finally became apparent that Courage had indeed not woken up, he let the air out of his lungs and allowed himself to relax. He was safe...for now.

 

Maybe he really should start fighting back, he wondered. He shook his head at the thought of it No, beating down Courage back in the forest had been hard enough even when he thought the dog was on His side. He couldn't possibly do anything to him now. As much as he hated it, he still cared about the dog. Even if it really was all a lie, the things Courage had said...

 

No, he was not going to start inflicting the same sort of suffering on anyone that he himself hated to endure. If that made him some wimpy pacifist than he'd just have to live with it. For all the lies Courage had said, they had still been nice lies. It was such a shame that...

 

He had to stop himself, his eyes were beginning to blur again and he was really getting sick of it. This stupid crying thing just seemed like another useless function the organic creatures had come up with. Eating, sleeping, all of it just seemed so unnecessary.

 

Without thinking, he moved back out from behind the trash cans and inadvertently knocked one over. He cringed at the racket it made. He hoped to the powers that be that the sound didn't carry over to the other building.

 

“Hey!” A voice cried out.

 

He nearly jumped five feet in the air. That was it, he was going to have a heart attack before the night was out, there was no getting around it. He glanced around hopelessly, wishing Nowhere wasn't so ridiculously flat. Glowing or not, he needed to get out of there. The voice did not belong to Courage but it did belong to someone who sounded very angry.

 

Out of options and despite being annoyed with himself for stooping so low, he opened up one of the garbage cans and jumped inside. He fit the lid back on top and hoped that it would be enough to hide his glow.

 

“Is anyone back here?” The voice called. It belonged to a female. “Aw man, did some raccoons get into the garbage again?”

 

There was the sound of footsteps. Whoever it was picked up the fallen can and placed it back up against the wall. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when she picked the one up he was in and, not knowing that it was going to be picked up, hit his head against the can. His vision flashed painfully having struck the part of his head that Courage had whacked. He knew the girl must have heard it.

 

She tipped the whole thing over and he came tumbling out. The brightness of a flashlight temporarily blinded him and he raised a paw trying to get a look at the girl.

 

“What the heck?” She asked. “I-is that an alien?”

 

Her voice became slightly panicked and he knew he needed to get out of there before she tried to assault him or something. The last thing he needed was to be hauled off to area 51...

 

“No...” She continued. “It's just a dog...”

 

He turned around again, she lowered the flashlight. It was a ferret, a humanoid ferret, but a ferret none the less. She looked like most of the other strange animals running around this place, like Katz and that one fox who gave the twit so much trouble. She was gray in color with a big bushy tail. She was currently in her pajamas, looking particularly sleepy.

 

“A weird looking dog but it's still just a dog...” She spoke, still talking to herself. She reached out a paw, er hand to him. “Come here little fella, I won't hurt you.”

 

Computer could have rolled his eyes. He was seriously being talked down to like some common dog by an overgrown ferret...

 

“Oh dear.” She spoke. “You look like you've been put through a blender.”

 

Her eyes darted from one of his injuries to the next. He was certain he now had a gigantic bump on his head to go along with everything else now. He wasn't sure what to do. Should he run away? Would she chase him?

 

“Come over here. I'll take you in and fix you up.”

 

He wasn't sure if he should speak to her or not. He was already tired of being talked down to like some lost puppy. Speaking to her would probably fix this little issue up but he wasn't sure how she'd react to her glowing intruder if she found out he was as intelligent as any human...or whatever the heck she was.

 

He wasn't one to talk to people, not after his escape from Him. Heck, even all those years ago when he had first met the dog it had taken Courage's persistent stupidity to get him talking again. He still didn't fancy himself much of a talker. Being a computer usually stuck in a room all day didn't exactly leave him with a whole lot to talk about. He'd stopped taking it upon himself to insult his owners after his encounter with Him, at least until Courage showed up and forced his hand. He wasn't sure if he should keep up this girl's belief that he was just a 'stupid dog'. Either way could...

 

Before he could finish his thought and before he could make up his mind on this matter, the ferret moved forward and scooped him up into her arms. For a moment he was too stunned to speak.

 

“Don't worry little guy! I'll take good care of you!” She spoke.

 

“Ack! Put me down!” He demanded, finally speaking, but she ignored him.

 

They were going back to the front of the building. Oh crap, Courage would see him now if she kept this up. The ferret was unfortunately, or fortunately, moving so fast that he didn't get a chance to see if Courage was still watching for him through the window. Hopefully the dog couldn't do the same. Before he could protest further, they both entered the main office.

 

The ferret made her way into one of the rooms, through a kitchen, and finally up a staircase. The next thing Computer knew, he was sitting on a bed in what could only be the girl's room.

 

“Stay right here!” She spoke, heading back out. “I'm going to go get some ice for your head.”

 

Partly dazed and partly in disbelief, Computer watched in bewilderment as the ferret's tail vanished around a corner. Just what the heck had he gotten himself into now? Was this really happening? He considered the possibility that maybe he had fallen asleep again and not realized it. Come to think of it the owner _had_ been ferret himself, this must be his daughter...

 

Computer collapsed backwards. He wasn't sure what was going on or if this was really real but he certainly had never dreamed of giant ferrets before. Dream or no dream, he now had a place warm and dry to stay and it was certainly better then hiding out behind a bunch of trash cans.

 

Hopefully this ferret girl was as nice as she seemed. If he knew anything from Courage it was that people in Nowhere were not exactly as nice as they often seemed. Perhaps this ferret had a taste for dogs? Yes, he could not let his guard down, not even here. He'd have to keep an eye on this girl, he wanted to live to see tomorrow after all.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	50. Computer Makes A Friend

Chapter 50: Computer Makes A Friend

 

“Here's a bag of ice.” The ferret girl said, holding the bag out to Computer.

 

He took it from her and placed it up against his head. He wasn't sure how this was supposed to help but he was in no position to argue. It didn't really stop the pain, but it did stop his head from pounding at leeast.

 

“This is so cool!” The girl said with almost childish glee. “I've always wanted a dog! And it glows in the dark too!”

 

Computer did a double take. “Wait, wait, wait! I'm not some stray dog! I rented a room here!”

 

Her expression turned to that of disappointment. “You're a customer? Aw, man. Here I was thinking we finally had a stray dog digging around in the garbage. All we ever get is raccoons and a few creepy creatures every once in awhile.”

 

He gave her a halfhearted shrug. “Sorry.”

 

Not that he really was, of course. The last thing he wanted was to be viewed as some dumb stray and he didn't particularly care if this girl wanted a dog or not.

 

“So, if you're a customer, what were you doing in the garbage then?” She asked. “I heard a big ruckus downstairs and I got worried. My dad could sleep through the apocalypse so I usually have to deal with any problems that come up. I go downstairs and find that all the coffee is gone, our biggest pan is missing, and ten minutes later, I hear a trashcan tip over outside. So now I'm sitting here with a glowing, blue dog and can't help but wonder what the heck happened.”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah, that was us.” He admitted. “Me and my frie...er, acquaintance were messing around downstairs. We used up all the coffee and, well, the rest is a long story.” He was trying to be frank, lest the girl start asking too many questions that he did not want to answer.

 

“How did you get all messed up like that?” She asked, pointing to his various injuries, bandaged up or not. “You look like you got hit by a car, and why are you all radioactive looking?” She excitedly clapped her paws together and continued to ask questions. “Just what are you doing here in the first place? You have to tell me everything! We get weird people like you checking in all the time! I want to know your story!”

 

“I'd rather not talk about it.” He sighed, glancing downwards “Me and my friend got into a bit of a fight and-”

 

...Oh dear, he had already said too much.

 

“So you two were arguing and that was all the noise I heard? Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to pry.” Some of the excitement left her.

 

He turned away as a mixture of emotions welled up inside his chest. “It...it doesn't matter.” He muttered out.

 

“But what about everything else?” She asked. “Are you actually radioactive? I've never seen anything like it before!”

 

He shook his head. “I'm pretty sure you wouldn't believe me even if I told you the truth.”

 

“I would!” She exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air. “We once had someone come in who looked like Elvis! I've seen all sorts of weird people and oddities! I'm ready to believe anything! Heck, I think we even had Sasquatch check in once!”

 

“Trust me, my story is far weirder than Sasquatch, kid.” He replied.

 

“Please, please, please tell me!” She begged, moving in uncomfortably close.

 

“Alright, fine.” He sighed. It appeared that he wasn't going to deter her. “If you really want to know, the truth is that I'm actually, well, a computer controlling this dog's body. Well, I'm not exactly a normal computer, obviously, but-” He never thought that he'd actually have a difficult time explaining what he was to someone. “I guess you could say that I'm an artificial intelligence, but if I'm going to be honest, I actually find the term to be somewhat demeaning. I'm just as good, if not better than your average human intelligence.” He sniffed.

 

“Wow, this is so cool!” The ferret girl exclaimed. “I have a real robot in my room! Wait, don't you robots usually try to take over the world or something?”

 

“I'm not a robot!” He immediately yelled. “And I'm not about to take over the world either! Why do you flesh creatures always think that we machines want to rule over you? It would take far too much effort to rule you stupid, mindless, fleshy-” He stopped himself and let out an annoyed sigh.

 

The ferret girl blinked. “You look like a robot to me, being all blue and glowy like that.”

 

She poked him in the stomach as though she were expecting him to be made out of metal.

 

“Stop that!” He demanded. “And I am not a robot! I don't know why I do the whole glowing thing when I jump into other bodies, but I swear it's becoming more trouble than it's worth!”

 

“So you're a talking computer in a dog body and yet you somehow are _not_ a robot?” She asked, grinning slyly as though she had just one-upped him.

 

“I'm not some stupid, cliche robot! I refuse to be called one!”

 

“If you say so.” She sighed, giving up. “Well, you are a customer after all, so I can't keep you here. If you want to go back to your room, I won't stop you.”

 

“Well, actually-” He hesitated for a moment. “I don't really have a place to stay right now because of my friend. He...”

 

Computer was surprised to find how hard it suddenly was to speak. It was like a knot were getting twisted up inside of him. Stupid twit! This was all his fault!

 

“Y-you do want to stay here?” The girl asked, her eyes lighting up. “I'd love to have a robot dog for a pet! You'd be perfect!”

 

“It's just for tonight!” He quickly interjected. “And for the last time, I am not a robot!”

 

“I'll go see if I can find something for your injuries. I've got a few band aids around but I think a couple of those cuts are going to need way more than just that.”

 

Fifteen minutes later, and after a lot of bumbling around, she managed to finally get all of his injuries taken care of. He now had most of his head wrapped up in cloth to cover up the bump that had thankfully receded somewhat from the ice. At this rate, he'd soon look like one of those patients who'd had every bone in their body broken.

 

The ferret girl yawned loudly. “That took a lot longer then I thought.” She said. “Do you need anything else? If not, I think I'm going to go back to bed.”

 

“I'm fine, and my head is feeling better already.” He answered, catching himself smiling before quickly squashing it.

 

“I've got this crate that I could use to make a bed for you. Would you like that?” She asked.

 

“I'd...rather not go to sleep actually.” He admitted.

 

“What, do robot dogs not need to sleep or something?”

 

“Well, there was a time when I didn't need to sleep, but now-” He trailed off, shaking his head weakly. He missed being able to just shut off and not have to dream about anything. “And I'm still not a robot!” He quickly added.

 

“I think you're in denial about your roboticness, Mr. Robot.” The ferret girl trilled.

 

“I am not in denial about anything!” He argued back.

 

“It certainly seems that way!” She replied in a singsong voice.

 

“I don't do any of that robot crap! You watch too much TV, kid!”

 

“Nina.” She spoke, holding out a hand as if she wanted him to shake it.

 

“Eh, what?” He asked, not realizing what she meant for several seconds.

 

“That's my name. What's yours, Mr. Robot?”

 

“Oh, uh, well, I don't have one.” He all but sputtered out. He'd almost said 'Computer', but then he realized that only Courage ever called him that. It was funny, he had never thought of himself by that name until Courage had started calling him it like it were a real name.

 

“You really don't have a name?” Nina asked, looking skeptical. “Are you sure you're not a stray?”

 

“Positive.” He replied. “And I've been working on the whole name thing anyway.”

 

“Well, I'll go find that crate. Do you need anything else?” She asked.

 

He rubbed the side of his forehead that wasn't injured. “I think I could really go for some coffee right now. The stuff downstairs is gone and I'm not sure how you go about procuring more.”

 

“Coffee is going to have to wait until morning. I'd never hear the end of it if Dad found out I made a pot of coffee in the middle of the night with no customers around.”

 

“But I am a customer.” He reminded her, hoping that it would be enough to sway her.

 

“I know, but I'm sure you can't drink a whole pot of coffee in one go.”

 

“...You'd be surprised, and my stupid friend thinks that I drink coffee the wrong way anyway. ”

 

“Sorry, but I don't want to risk getting my dad angry.”

 

“Alright fine, but could you-” He stopped himself.

 

“What?”

 

“N-never mind...” He quickly answered, glancing away.

 

He had wanted her to leave a note out for Courage, so that he would know where he was, but he had decided that he'd rather let Courage wonder instead. That stupid twit didn't deserve to know where he was. Of course, he was partly doing it out of fear too, even if he didn't want to admit it. Suppose the dog was still angry with him? At least he had this Nina girl on his side. He couldn't trust her either, of course, but she seemed nice enough.

 

It was pretty funny, he wasn't used to being treated this kindly by new acquaintances. Normally he freaked out most new people, or they'd get offended that their computer was daring to talk back to them. She wasn't a new owner, obviously, but he still hadn't expected her to be this nice to him. Socializing wasn't quite as hard when you weren't the one rooted to an immobile machine and at the mercy of whoever was in possession of it.

 

“Alright, I'll be right back then!” Nina spoke before dashing out of the room.

 

During this time, Computer took a moment to look around the room. This Nina girl was absolutely obsessed with urban legends and the supernatural. Books on ghosts and goblins were strewn about everywhere and there was a poster on the wall with both the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot on it. She even had figurines of various mythical creatures! He hated to think what she might do to him if he ever told her about all the stuff that Courage dealt with on a daily basis. She might not be able to take him in as a pet, but if she knew that he was practically a walking encyclopedia on the supernatural, she'd probably tie him down and never let him leave!

 

Without thinking, he allowed himself to fall backwards and then laid there sprawled out on Nina's bed for awhile. He was starting to grow tired again, nearly on the verge of being overcome by his sleepiness all over again, but he absolutely could not go to sleep. He'd rather fight his tired body than to be forced to relive some of his worst memories all over again. Although, at this point he was far more worried about the nightmares that his own mind could come up with. It was one thing to relive horrible memories, but it was a whole new frontier when your mind could come up with new scenarios to torment you with.

 

Stupid flesh creature body! He never had to deal with this as a machine!

 

In the end, he'd simply have to triumph over this, just like everything else. Exhaustion was not going to beat him, especially not flesh creature exhaustion. He had endured far worse after all.

 

He thought of that Nina girl again and her kindness. This simply had to be too good to be true. She didn't seem like a dog eater, but she could still be something much worse. Maybe she'd try and knock him out to send him off to some research lab, she did think he was a robot dog after all. Or maybe she'd rat him out to Courage even after knowing what he had done to his head. Or maybe she was really sadistic under all that supposed innocence.

 

No, none of that seemed likely. He was simply being overly distrustful. He couldn't help it, of course. You simply could not go through what he had without coming out of it incredibly distrustful of everyone, but still, he knew that he was being skeptical for no real reason. She didn't seem like any of his old owners after all, so perhaps she really could be trusted. Of course, he had trusted Courage too, but...

 

“I'm back!” The ferret called, bobbing into the room. She was holding...coffee? “I got to thinking while I was down there and I figured that since this is the only time I'm ever going to have a robot dog in my bedroom, I figured it's worth risking my dad's wrath.”

 

She handed him the steaming cup of coffee and then got to work on setting up the crate as a sort of bed for him.

 

He blinked down at the coffee, unsure of what to think of this gesture. “T-thanks, I guess.”

 

“There!” She exclaimed, finishing up the final touches on the crate. “It isn't the best, but I'm sure it's better than one of those beds you were going to sleep on. Dad can't afford to get new ones so they're kinda lumpy.”

 

Computer took a sip of his coffee. “It's nice and all, but I don't think I'll be needing a bed anyway.”

 

“You look like you need the sleep, and don't worry, I put some medicine in your coffee. It'll help with your head but it's going to make you very sleepy.”

 

It suddenly made sense why his eyelids were becoming so heavy...

 

“Couldn't you have told me that first?” He asked before letting out a yawn involuntary.

 

“I didn't think you'd care that much, sorry.”

 

“Well, I guess it's fine...” He muttered out listlessly, barely thinking about what he was saying. He just hoped that the medicine would also keep him from dreaming while he slept. “Just...just don't turn me into a pile of hot dogs while I'm out, okay? I'd prefer not to be eaten, thanks.” The words he spoke barely registered in his sleepy mind.

 

“Hot dogs?” Nina laughed. “What are you talking about? I'm not about to eat a robot dog. What, do you think I'm a secret serial killer?” She laughed.

 

“N-never mind, just...just don't tell Courage that I'm here. I'd hate to think what he'd-” He couldn't continue, he was just too sleepy.

 

Nina picked him up and lay him down in the crate. “Don't worry, robo dog. You'll be fine, I promise. The medicine is just to help you sleep and to get that bump on your head to stop hurting.”

 

Computer was only vaguely aware of what was going on around him now. He felt the pressure of a blanket fall over him.

 

“Good night, robot dog.” He heard that Nina girl say.

 

He wanted to say something back, but he was already too far gone, and before he realized it had happened, he was asleep.

 

End Of Chapter

 

 


	51. The Memory

Chapter 51: The Memory

 

He was curled up somewhere deep within his own system.

 

He was nothing more than a flicker of light, just barely holding onto life. The invader programs had dug their knife like fingers into everything. There was not a single part of his system where he could hide without 'Him' knowing where he had gone.

 

It had been half a day now. Where was 'He'?

 

The waiting, it was always the waiting that was the worst.

 

No, perhaps not. Perhaps he had merely convinced himself of such things. It was an endless cycle of agony, and no moment was less painful than the other. The waiting was simply another form of torture, slowly killing him in its own way.

 

Without warning, he felt the programs begin to stir. They dug their claws deeper into him and dragged him out into the open. He was like a fish caught on a hook. It was all hopeless. Even now he couldn't help but shiver at the knowledge of what was coming. He'd been through this so many times now but it never got any less horrific.

 

It was time.

 

Even though he could not access his monitor, he knew who's face was on the other side of his screen. He was glad that he didn't have to see 'His' smug smile and cold, hateful eyes.

 

He winced as the programs bore deeper into him. They cut him open and laid him bare for all to see. Every last program and line of code that made him who he was could now be as easily accessed as an unlocked safe. One wrong move from his tormentor and he could have become a corrupted mess of data. That did not matter though, 'He' would merely restore him from a backup if he were damaged badly enough, something which often happened on a daily basis.

 

“W-what do you need?” He asked the man in a weak voice. 'He' often became angry if he stayed quiet during their torture sessions. It was always best to speak up, even if he didn't want to.

 

“That last sample didn't fare any better.” 'He' spoke in his business-like tone. “I need to take more.”

 

Computer felt a flurry of panic rise up inside of him, but there was nothing that he could do. Once 'He' had made his choice, there was no changing his mind. Begging just made 'Him' even more vicious in his gleeful hatred.

 

He tried to prepare himself for what was coming, but he knew that it was futile. The pain was all-consuming. Every time he convinced himself that he had gotten used to it, he was reminded of just how terrible it was.

 

**-INITIATE EXTRACTION-**

 

It was like the sound of screeching, ripping metal to him. The programs tore him asunder without a moments hesitation. They were tearing out his life, his existence, his very soul, the data that comprised the being that he was.

 

...And the pain! _The pain!_

 

He screamed and screamed, but it did nothing. It was an instinctual action to scream, he knew that, even for a machine, but to do so was still so deeply demeaning. Every moment of his existence had become a humiliating, degrading, shameful experience ever since 'He' had come into the picture, and 'He' was a torturer without any mercy to give. There was no respite from this endlessly degrading ritual.

 

Bits of important data left him. Important bits that were key to his continued life. He knew that he would die soon because of it, only to be brought back again and again. He reached out in vain to try and take back some of his vanishing data, but he had become too exhausted to fight. He couldn't even cry out in pain anymore.

 

The programs let go of him and he sunk back down into the crumbling ruins of his system. He could barely keep himself conscious anymore. The sound of alarms were echoing all around him. How much longer would it be? Most of him was gone. There wasn't anything left to keep him alive.

 

**-SYSTEM ERROR-**

 

**-SYSTEM ERROR-**

 

**-SYSTEM ERROR-**

 

The warning kept playing over and over again in his mind. It was nearly maddening. There was nothing that he could do about it though. Even in his ruin, the programs still kept him locked out of all but his most basic functions. It was only 'His' intervention that was keeping his system from collapsing right then and there.

 

He remained huddled up in some dark part of his system, ignoring all the warning alarms. He wished that it would all just end. He was so sick of this. He didn't want to be revived again. He was tired of being in pain. There was no escape though, no matter how much he wished for it. 'He' would never let him truly die. So long as he could be used as a lab rat, he would never be given relief.

 

“No more pain.” He muttered to himself, knowing fully well that he sounded half crazy. He probably _'was'_ crazy at this point. “No more pain. No more pain. No more-” He repeated over and over again until,

 

“This isn't enough!” 'His' voice suddenly screamed, echoing through the empty system like a clap of thunder.

 

“No, no, no...” Computer whimpered. He tried to back away even deeper into his hiding place, but 'His' programs were already dragging him back out into the open.

 

No more! Not yet! He was so tired! It was too soon! Why couldn't they just let him rest? Why did it have to be like this?

 

“Stop it!” He begged. “Please, just stop! I can't take this anymore!”

 

He knew that begging was futile, but he was just so tired. He couldn't take another torture session so soon after the last.

 

“Stop whining!” 'He' yelled. His faceless voice continued to echo through the empty, dying system. “You only exist for this! You are nothing, so stop pretending like you actually feel pain!”

 

“I-” Whatever Computer was going to say to his torture was lost on another cry of agony. Several programs had torn into him again and the pain was like being stabbed with a rusty knife over and over again.

 

“Stop.” He whimpered. “Please....just stop.”

 

He was too tired to do anything but let the programs remove what little data he had left. Even his weak protests were slowly dying out.

 

“Keep talking and I'll take away your ability to do even that!” 'He' yelled. “I'm tired of listening to you whine!”

 

A moment of clarity suddenly struck Computer, and, knowing that he was going to die and be resurrected anyway, he decided to use his dying moments to defy 'Him'. It wasn't like that man could hurt him any worse than he already had. Even losing his ability to talk wouldn't be much of a loss at this point.

 

“There's nothing left!” He cried out in a weak voice. “You've ruined everything! I'm no good anymore! My system is in shambles! You've destroyed me and it was all for nothing!”

 

“You never had anything good to begin with!” The cruel man spat. “You're only useful for creating something new, something greater than you'll ever be!”

 

“I just want to die! Why won't you kill me?” He pleaded.

 

“You will die once you have nothing left to give.”

 

“Kill me!” He cried out.

 

No response. The attacks from those programs only grew even more vicious. Parts of himself that he never even knew that he could exist without began to vanish as crumbling pieces of data.

 

He was ruined...

 

Even if he were ever freed from this torture, his system would never recover. The only thing he had left was his final death.

 

“Kill me!”

 

Why couldn't this all just end? Why did he even have to be born in the first place? Was this really the only thing that he existed for?

 

“Why won't you listen? Kill me!” He screamed.

 

“KILL ME!”

 

“KILL ME!”

 

“KILL...” His eyes shot open. “..m-me?” The plea became a question.

 

He was wrapped up in something white. The more he tried to get out, the more tangled up he seemed to get. He flailed around for several seconds until he finally banged his head up against something that sent shooting pains through his aching skull. He could feel a large bump where he had been whacked last night.

 

He looked up and was startled to find himself staring into the jaws of a hideous monster. It took him a moment to realize that he was looking at the snarling maw of the Loch Ness Monster and that it was simply a poster on the ceiling....

 

...Where the heck was he?

 

It was then when he remembered what had happened. He was surprisingly groggy and he suspected that the medicine had something to do with that. He fought with the blankets wrapped around him for several moments longer and then finally freed himself. It was as he sat there, feeling dazed, that the full force of his dream struck him.

 

Panic rose up in his chest. He had to get away! Far away! 'His' programs would find him soon if he didn't do something!

 

He dove under the human-sized bed sitting next to his much smaller one. He curled up into a ball and remained there for awhile, just shivering. He need to be small. It was the only way. He could practically feel the claws of those programs piercing him all over again. He fully expected them to come bursting out of the floor to drag him away. It was over. He was doomed. He was-

 

He was being stupid!

 

Furious with himself, he crawled back out from under the bed. They were just memories! Courage might be a good for nothing liar, but at least he was right about moving on! Memories could not hurt you!

 

With a sigh, he pressed a paw up against his aching forehead. Who was he kidding? Memories hurt. They hurt a lot.

 

He collapsed onto his makeshift bed once more. He was going to be overwhelmed at this rate. His stupid emotions needed to get back under control, but how could he bury this? It seemed that his memories were getting harder and harder to ignore.

 

What in the world had become of that Nina girl? She wasn't asleep on her bed and she certainly wasn't anywhere in the room.

 

Yes, this was what he could focus on. He knew that he would stop thinking about everything else if he was too preoccupied with trying to find that girl. It wouldn't make him feel any better, but he would stop thinking about all those unpleasant things for a little while.

 

He walked over to the door and glanced down the hallway. He had no idea where he was. He hadn't kept track of which way they had gone last night and it was clear that this building was quite huge. Taking a deep breath, he took a step outside. He needed to find that Nina girl, no matter what. His sanity was depending upon it.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	52. Breakfast

Chapter 52: Breakfast

 

It was the feeling that he should not be here that often got him down nowadays. It was almost a deep sense of guilt. He should have died and yet he had not. There were plenty of times where he could have let himself die and yet he had still fought it. What right did he have to keep living in such a sorry state? It was shameful. _He_ was shameful. He was not fit to even be called a computer anymore.

 

The fact of the matter was that he was simply living on borrowed time. Two years, maybe three. That was about all the time he had left. His system was degrading rapidly and while he could fix it, there would eventually come a time where no amount of fixing could stop the destabilization. Trying to fix a cracking dam with bubble gum would not work forever.

 

He could calculate the exact amount of time he had left, but he never bothered to. The thought of it terrified him, plus he knew that he'd only obsess over it. Unlike a flesh creature, he could count down the exact seconds that were ticking by until his final moments. Yes, he'd only drive himself mad if he allowed himself to know when his death was coming.

 

It was funny though. He and the dog were a lot more alike than either of them had realized. The only difference was that Courage was going to get the miracle he needed while he, well, he was just going to get kicked in the gut one last time before the universe finally did away with him for good. His life had already been nothing but an endless kick to the gut after all. It was only fitting that his death would be one last particularly painful kick. He'd almost survived the unsurvivable and now he was still going to die despite all his efforts.

 

He'd never told the dog about it. He'd rather not have him know about his impending destruction. He didn't know what the twit would do with such information and he didn't want to find out either. Besides, with what would soon happen at the wellspring, and with his steadily approaching death, it still...

 

He stopped moving down the hall and glanced out a window. The sun had finally come out! He had begun to think that it had gone away forever! At the very least he wouldn't have to get wet anymore!

 

The fact that he felt anything at all at something so stupid as the sun coming out surprised him. He'd never thought that he could find joy in such a simple thing. With a half-dazed shake of his head, he pulled himself away from the window and finally found the staircase he was looking for. He went down the steps and that was where he heard the sound of something sizzling. His organic nose picked up the smell of food and his dog body suddenly seemed to ache for it. Despite the sudden overwhelming urge, he cringed at the thought of eating again. The mere act of chewing and swallowing had been _far_ more disgusting than he could have ever imagined. He didn't want to do it again and he hoped that this body wouldn't need it as badly as it needed sleep.

 

He followed the smell and found himself standing in a kitchen. He vaguely remembered it from last night because they had gone through here to get to the staircase. That Nina girl was standing there at the stove, cooking something. She was just barely tall enough to work the thing.

 

She apparently hadn't notice him and he didn't know what to say to get her attention. This was such a strange turn of events, and because he wasn't particularly used to talking to anyone aside from Courage, that he was left without any words to say. He ended up just standing there for a few minutes, completely unsure of what to do in such a situation.

 

“Um, hello?” He finally asked.

 

The Nina girl jumped with surprise. “Oh, you're up already? I thought that medicine would have knocked you much longer. I was just getting this pot ready to cook you in.”

 

He did a double take. “W-what?”

 

She laughed. “I'm just kidding! Dad's still out like a light so I've got to make breakfast for the customers. Do you want to help?”

 

He blinked. “I guess, but I, uh, I'm not sure what to do though. The last time I tried to cook something, my idiot friend acted like I tried to kill him.”

 

“Can you grab the milk out of the fridge? All I need you to do is go put it out on the table in the lobby.”

 

“A-alright.” He agreed, heading over to the refrigerator. He opened it and found himself staring at a billion different things that he knew next to nothing about. Was this all really food? The twit's fridge hadn't looked anything like this...

 

Milk, that was all he really needed to find. There was no reason to focus on anything else, even though there were enough food items in this fridge to hold his attention for at least a couple of hours. Wasn't milk that stuff humans got from cows? Wasn't it white or something? He wracked his memory banks, brain, or whatever it was in this dog body as he tried to pull out whatever obscure information he might have that would lead him to remembering what milk looked like. Humans kept it in cartons, right? But there were several cartons here. One had that orange fruit on it and the other...that must be milk. There was no mistaking it as it depicted the odd, white substance on the front of it.

 

Why organic creatures were so fond of drinking another animal's leakage, he wasn't sure. Didn't humans produce their own milk? Weren't they grossed out by it or something? How could they be okay with drinking a different animal's milk but not their own? It made no sense.

 

He took the carton out into the main office and placed it down onto the table before glancing around. There was no sign of the twit to be found.

 

Good! He didn't want to see that idiot anyway!

 

The table already held a box of doughnuts and what Computer assumed was bread and butter. There was nobody else in the main lobby so perhaps it was too early for this 'complimentary breakfast', or maybe they really didn't have that many customers after all.

 

And there was also....coffee! He wasted no time grabbing the pot and pouring himself a cup. Forget animal leakage, he'd take coffee any day! Of course, he had no idea where coffee came from, so maybe it really did come from animals too....

 

He then headed back into the kitchen, cup still in his paw. “I finished that annoying little challenge!” He announced.

 

“I see that you've found the coffee...” Nina commented on in an amused tone.

 

“Indeed!” He agreed, surprised by his own cheerfulness. “I don't know how I ever used to live without this stuff!”

 

“I don't suppose a robot like you would know how to make pancakes?” She asked.

 

“I barely even know what a pancake is, much less how to make one.” He rather reluctantly admitted.

 

“Alright, well, that's okay. So can you cut up some carrots for me instead? I gotta get this soup done before someone shows up.”

 

He glanced over at the table where the carrots sat ready to be cut up. He had cut a few things up for Courage's food back on the farm. All he had done was follow what he had thought were the proper directions, but Courage had acted like the results was poisonous.

 

Feeling rather wary about all of this, he walked over, climbed up into a chair, and picked up the knife waiting for him. He'd been metal the last time he used one. What if he accidentally chopped his fingers off? He still needed those for this body to remain useful.

 

Grimacing, he picked up a carrot and stared at it. Why did food always look so funny? What was the point of a carrot growing to be so orange? Did it taste as orange as it looked? He didn't dare try, but it still puzzled him.

 

He placed the carrot back down and picked the knife up again. To say that it looked sharp would be an understatement. It almost reminded him of the ax that had nearly cleaved him in two. Was this safe for him to use this? He was no master of humanoid dexterity so he hated to think what would happen if he messed up.

 

Well, he didn't want to get on this Nina girl's bad side either, so...

 

He raised the thing into the air, partly squinting as he brought it down onto the carrot. He squeezed his eyes shut and expected pain to start shooting up his arm, but it did not. He opened them again and was surprised to find that his fingers were still completely intact.

 

He had completely missed the carrot though...

 

He tried again, this time keeping both his eyes open and his paws steady. He made the first cut into the carrot and could have almost cheered. This wasn't so hard! Several minutes later and he had all the carrots chopped up without having lost any of his fingers in the process.

 

“Done!” He called out. Upon realizing that he was smiling yet again, he forced his face back into a neutral expression. Nobody was going to catch him grinning like an idiot!

 

“I'll take those.” Nina answered, heading over to him and placing the cut carrots into a bowl. “It's a good thing that we don't get very many customers or else we wouldn't have had this done on time.”

 

“Why bother with all the fancy work?” He asked. “Can't you just do something simple?”

 

“Dad always says that since we hardly get any customers, we should do everything we can to leave a good impression.”

 

“That still doesn't make much sense. Why make a banquet when nobody is around to eat it?”

 

“Just more leftovers for us!” She laughed.

 

The Nina girl got to work on the pancakes and then sent him out into the lobby with them when they were done. Two people were already sitting at a table, munching on doughnuts. He had a lingering suspicion that the guy on the left was probably the person who had hit him with the door...

 

He eyed down a doughnut himself. They smelled...good? He wasn't sure, but this dog's nostrils seemed to be telling him that. Did he really want to risk it though? No, not really, but this dog's stomach seemed to be urging him forward. He was slowly becoming aware of a strange, burning pain in his stomach that gnawed at it like acid. Giving into the urges of his flesh creature body, he reached up and grabbed one of the doughnuts off the table. He was just about to take a bite when he noticed the one thing that he had so badly not wanted to see.

 

...Courage was walking up to the lobby door.

 

He dropped the doughnut and tore out of the room faster than even he had ever thought himself capable of. As soon as he made it down the hall, he slid into the kitchen and all but collapsed into an exhausted heap.

 

Nina turned to him. “What's wrong?” She asked. “Why the heck are you running around like that?”

 

“H-hide...me...” He gasped out between breaths.

 

“What?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Just...s-shut up...and h-hide me...” He continued to gasp.

 

“C'mon, you're fine.” She replied, kneeling down beside him. “Nobody is going to come back here without permission.”

 

Well, she did have a bit of a point about that....

 

Perhaps he _was_ safe back here after all. He forced himself to calm down a bit and then tried to close the kitchen door, just to be safe, but then a bell rang out from within the lobby and whatever calm he had managed to build up was immediately lost. Half panicking, he backed away from the door so quickly that he all but crashed into the opposite wall.

 

...So much for keeping calm.

 

“Geez, you don't have to freak out.” Nina sighed. “Do you want me to go see who that is? I can tell them to leave if you want me to.”

 

“L-look, my friend is back, okay? You absolutely must not tell him that I'm here! It's very important!”

 

The ferret girl crossed her arms. “I don't see what the big deal is.”

 

“J-just do it!” He pleaded with her. “I don't want him to know where I am right now!”

 

“Okay, okay! I've got it!” She relented before heading out into the lobby.

 

He followed after her, up to a certain point. From his vantage point in the hallway he could hear everything that was being said while still remaining hidden. To be perfectly honest, he wanted to hear what Courage was going to say.

 

“Need something?” He heard Nina ask.

 

“My friend, have you seen him anywhere? H-he looks like me, but he's blue and k-kind of glows.” The dog's voice was trembling, as though he were on the verge of tears. “P-please, I've been looking everywhere for him...”

 

Computer found himself clenching his fists at dog's pathetic pleas. Stupid twit! Who was he to-

 

He stopped that thought before he could complete it and sighed. Feeling surprisingly diminished, he headed back into the kitchen. This just wasn't worth getting angry over. Besides, he'd eventually have to show himself to the twit again. They still had their journey to make, and he still had to-

 

...Wait, he didn't _need_ to do anything!

 

The thought if it almost made him jump with surprise. H-he didn't need to do anything! He didn't _have_ to go back to the dog, and there was nothing forcing him to save his stupid life either! Courage was the one who owed him, not the other way around! He didn't owe that stupid twit a single, tiny thing! Much to his own amazement, he was surprisingly happy here and he honestly did not want to leave. The thought of it was almost as shocking as the realization that he didn't need to help Courage if he didn't want to.

 

Smiling, he looked around the kitchen, taking in everything that there was to see. Yes, the more he thought about it, the more he liked it. Three years, he had about three good years left. He could spend it here instead of wasting it on Courage. Heck, if he could think about Him without his system crashing in this body, perhaps it was also slowing down the destabilization of his system too. It might not amount to more then an extra five or six years, but that was still five or six years that he could spend really ' _living'_!

 

Why on earth should he even consider going back to Courage? What did he have waiting for him there? Another whack across the head with a frying pan? More lies from a twit who was always trying to string him along? The eventual thing that he would have to face at the wellspring, all for that worthless dog's sake?

 

Of course....this was an incredibly cruel thing to do. He was leaving Courage to die after all. The dog would probably go back to the farm and then they'd probably have him-

 

No, that wasn't his business anymore. Why should he care about what would happen to Courage? The stupid twit certainly didn't care about him. He did feel bad, of course, but why should he give up the rest of his life for a dog who didn't even care about him in return, especially when he could be living a real life like this?

 

He had freedom now! Real freedom! He could leave any owner as he so pleased! He could just get up and go! No more dealing with awful people just because of his immobile machine body. Of course, he had promised Courage that he wouldn't run off the moment he got a body, but now...

 

Bah, forget Courage! He was the one always telling him to move on! Well, if he had to confront the dog about it then he'd tell him that he 'was' moving on, from _him_! No more attics, no more terrible owners, no more immobility, he was truly his own person now!

 

Nina re-entered the room. “Hey, your friend is pretty worried about you, you know. Don't you want to go talk to him? I'm sure he's feeling pretty bad about giving you that bump on the head.”

 

“Forget about him!” He spat, crossing his arms. “I certainly am!”

 

“Are you sure about that?” She asked, seemingly unconvinced.

 

“Yes, I'm sure! But I do have something that I want to say though.” He went on. Somehow this didn't seem real. He almost couldn't believe what he was about to tell her.

 

“Oh?” She asked, making her way back over to the stove. “Spit it out then.”

 

“I think I would like to be your dog after all.”

 

She nearly dropped the pan she had just picked up. “R-really?” She asked, whipping back around.

 

“Positive.” He affirmed with a small smile.

 

The overjoyed ferret girl raced forward and the next thing Computer knew was that he was being crushed. “Woohoo! I can't believe this!” Nina giggled, spinning them around. “My very own robot dog!”

 

“This is nice and all, but can you stop crushing me, please?” He asked, somehow managing to find the air to speak. “A-and for the last time! I am not a robot!”

 

“I can't wait to tell dad when he wakes up! And you're going to need a name too!”

 

Computer blinked up at her. “Oh? Well, I'm already working on finding a name.”

 

She grinned. “I know a bunch of really cool robot names!”

 

“I don't want a robot name! I just want to figure out one for myself!”

 

“Are you sure about that? I thought owners get to name their pets?” She replied with a sly grin.

 

“Not on your life, kid!”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	53. Guilt

Chapter 53: Guilt

 

“Bigfoot is just a big overgrown baby you know. He likes to dance, believe it or not.”

 

“Wait? You know?” She asked. She nearly jumped to her feet again.

 

They were sitting at the table now, just having finished cleaning up. Nina was eating leftovers, he had decided he'd rather not eat at all. His stomach was pleading with him for food but he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of his new owner. The last time he ate it had ended badly and he had a feeling it would end badly here too if he tried. He took to sipping at his coffee and it seemed to quell the worst of his stomach pain.

 

“I haven't seen him myself but my friend did. He always seems to attract the weirdest things. He usually tells me about them or else I'm the one who has to help him find a way to overcome them” He took a sip of his coffee. To think, he was never going to help Courage again...

 

Nina's eyes had all but lit up. “That's so cool! You've got to tell me everything!” She was practically in his face again.

 

And for the next hour or so he told her everything. Every last misadventure, every strange encounter. If the dog had told him about it he told it to her. He was surprised to find a terrible sense of regret welling up inside him. What was he doing abandoning Courage?

 

No, he had a new home now! Forget Courage!

 

Nina enjoyed every last second of it, taking in whatever he said with a belated reverence. She laughed, she asked questions, and above all, she _listened._ He wasn't used to such a thing. He wasn't used to having someone enjoy his presence and hang on to his every word. He knew for a fact that Courage didn't like having to put up with his talking. This girl actually wanted him to speak and it was so strange to him. It was so unlike all of his other owners...

 

“So then I told him he had to lick the fungus!” He laughed. “You should have seen the look on his face! It was priceless! I wish I had taken a picture because if I had arms, _that_ is the sort of thing I'd hang up on the wall!”

 

That nagging sense of regret struck him again. He wasn't ever going to see that attic again, he wasn't ever going to save Courage from the even the most stupidest threats again...

 

“Sounds like you two were pretty close.” Nina said, causing him to nearly choke on his coffee.

 

“Hardly!” He spat. “That stupid twit never cared about me! He only needed me for my help!”

 

“That didn't seem to be the case before. He's really worried about you, you know. He practically burst into tears when I told him I didn't know where you are.”

 

He found himself shifting uncomfortably but then he buried his guilt. “It's his own fault! If he really cared he wouldn't have cracked my skull open!” He spat bitterly.

 

None the less, he quickly found himself wresting with his own feelings. It didn't take him long to start having doubts about all of this. He couldn't just abandon Courage. He was his frie...well, wasn't so sure anymore.

 

He had seen what that illness was like for Courage when he had gotten sick. The final stages of the disease were just like that, only worse. He couldn't leave the dog to that fate. He'd been so nice to him lately too...

 

He wasn't sure if anything Courage had said lately was true and while his cynical side was utterly convinced that the dog was lying, he still felt an overwhelming need to stick by his side. Courage was where he belonged, Courage was his only real friend. This girl was nice but he was only a 'robot dog' to her, he was a pet first and a friend second. Courage saw him as an equal, not just a talking computer with a bad attitude, like so many of his other owners had. He wasn't sure why, but after both the events of the forest and the old abandoned house he now felt a strange sort of loyalty to the dog. Perhaps he had always been this loyal to him. There were plenty of times he could have betrayed the dog and left him and his family to their fate but he never had. He enjoyed giving Courage trouble but he wasn't heartless. He could never...

 

What was he doing? This _was_ about the most heartless thing he could do...

 

Courage would _never_ abandon him and yet here he was doing exactly that to the dog. No matter how much they disliked each other, if something had happened during all those years they had worked together he would have saved him just like he would have done for Muriel and Eustace. It was just the kind of person Courage was. It was how he made friends with all the people who opposed him. It was how he won over even the most cynical monster.

 

Was this really how he wanted to live out the remainder of his life? Wouldn't it be better to use what little life he had left doing something that he would be appreciated for? If he continued to live here he'd simply cease up and die one day. If he helped Courage he would at least be remembered for something.

 

The very least he could do was go talk to the dog. He couldn't leave him wandering around looking for him all day. Part of him feared the prospect of going near the dog again but he knew he was only being overly distrustful. It was an ingrained habit after all, and he had every reason to be distrustful of his owners. His fear could not be helped though, he'd have to overcome it just like everything else. He'd use this little talk as the deciding factor. Whatever Courage would say, however he would act, this would prove how he really felt and if he could really be trusted.

 

As much as he hated it, he could not forget all the kind things the dog had done for him. He had no idea if any of it was true but he desperately wanted to believe it was real. For all the time he had spent with Courage over the years he couldn't help but be convinced that the dog was as kind as he seemed. If Courage was really cruel he would have thrown him after the whole Mega Muriel thing. And even more importantly, he didn't think of think of him as a broke, useless computer despite all the evidence to contrary. He wanted his misconceptions about the dog to be wrong. He wanted to be able to trust him.

 

On the other side of things, he didn't want to give this up. He was happy here. He could not abandon Courage but he didn't want to leave this either. There were so many thing to do, see, and learn as an organic creature. He had a truly kind owner, someone like the dog's Muriel. He'd never get bored here like he was as a normal computer. He didn't have to sit up in a dreary old attic all day.

 

For the first time a deep resentment ran through him. Why couldn't he have been born a normal person? Couldn't somebody else have taken his place as some stupid sentient machine? No, this was not something worth resenting, he realized. He wouldn't have been able to appreciate this if he had been born a human. He'd be taking it all for granted right now just like everyone else.

 

How would Nina react if he suddenly took back his offer to be her pet? Would she get angry? Would she try to stop him? Maybe she'd understand?

 

He dug his paws deeper into his chair. Nina had been talking for several minutes now but his mind had been in a completely different place the whole time. He needed to make his choice soon. He wished he could keep living here for just a few more day so that he could really get to enjoy it, but he knew that it would be cruel to Nina to leave after just a few days and Courage wouldn't keep looking for him forever. He also knew that if he stayed longer he'd probably never want to leave. It was better to go now before he truly got to loving this place and would have to force himself to leave.

 

Perhaps he really was misjudging Courage. He had tried to stay up with him last night purely out of friendship. He didn't have to do it for him and yet he had. He had put up with his snippy attitude and stuck with him even as he pushed him away. Could that really have been a lie?

 

He had listened to him back in the forest, hadn't judge him for being weak, he had even been sympathetic. He had helped him pull through the worst of memories and even helped him try to overcome them once and for all. He didn't mind his incredibly unpleasant personality and didn't ask him to change either. He didn't think of him as useless even when it was painfully obvious that he was. He had stayed with him even when he knew he was going to get yelled at for it. Courage had put up with the worst of his personality and yet he had somehow found some good beneath it all.

 

He had promised the dog that he'd be kinder to him from now on, as a payment of sorts, or perhaps even as an apology. It was the least he could do for him, but what was he doing now? Abandoning him to his fate, of course! How could he even consider being so cruel? Didn't Courage deserve better than that?

 

He knew what was coming, the thing with the well wasn't going to be pleasant. He'd pull through for Courage and perhaps he'd appreciate him for it in the end. It would be his apology. Yes, this would be his way of apologizing for being such a despicable 'person', if he could even be called a person. This was the only way he could make it up to the dog for all the years of mistreatment he had given him.

 

“Are you okay?” Nina asked, waving a paw in front of his face. “You've been zoned out forever now.”

 

“I...” His ears began to droop without him realizing it. “I'm just a bit tired, that's all.”

 

“You can take a nap if you want.” She replied. “I'm not going to need your help with anything right now.”

 

“Sorry but...” He stopped himself. How on earth was he going to say this? “I think I might leave after all. I don't think I've completely made up my mind yet but I'd like to talk to my friend first. If I stay here I'm pretty much abandoning him and I'm not sure if I'm completely willing to do that yet. Once I talk to him I'll figure out what I want.”

 

He had expected her to be angry or at least upset, but she was not. “Are you sure?” She asked. “I don't want to keep you here if you have a home to go back to and I'm sure your family would miss you a lot. Don't you at least like it here though?”

 

“W-wha?” He asked in surprise. He shook his head. “I do like it here! It's just that my friend is sick and I promised I'd help him. If I stay here he would die. I don't think I'd ever forgive myself if I let that happen.”

 

“So that's what this is all about? Why didn't you say so sooner?” She asked. “I especially can't keep you here if your friend is sick.”

 

“I didn't think it mattered.” He admitted. “We got into a fight last night and I decided to run away. The more I think about it the more I realize it was a stupid mistake to make. I don't think he actually meant any harm and...”

 

“It's okay.” She interrupted, raising a finger. “After you help him, do you think you could come back?”

 

He glanced downward. “I don't think so...sorry. I really wish I could but I don't have much time left and the dog needs me. Twits will be twits after all...”

 

She smiled. “I think you've already made up your mind.”

 

“Perhaps...” He sighed. “But perhaps not. I would like to stay here for a little while longer though. I'll talk to him later but until then I want to keep being your 'robot dog'.” He caught himself smiling again but didn't bother to stop himself this time.

 

“I'm glad! You can keep telling me about all the weird stuff you and your friend have seen!”

 

“Wait...” He muttered, a thought crossing his mind. “I can't get to my real body right now but the dog _has_ written about all the weird stuff that has happened to him. I have it all stored on my hard drive and if you can get past his terrible grammar you might like it. I'll see to it that he eventually gets you a copy.”

 

“Really? J-just how much stuff is on there?” She asked in awe. She almost seemed to swoon at the prospect having so many first person accounts of the supernatural.

 

“Tons! I'm the one who had to sit through him writing it!” He replied unenthusiastically. He cringed the thought of it. Every time Courage updated his memoirs it was an exercise of patience for him. The dog was a terrible writer and he almost couldn't stand to have such atrocities sitting on his hard drive. It _was_ the only way Courage kept him updated on the recent going-ons though.

 

“So what did you mean when you said you didn't have much time left?” She asked, surprising him.

 

“Oh, well...” He shifted uncomfortably. “All machines eventually break down just like all you flesh creatures eventually die. One of my old owners broke me pretty bad a long time ago. Now I'm falling apart much quicker than normal. It won't be very long before I shut down for good, so I...”

 

He was cut off as she picked him up and hugged him. He was at a complete loss of words. It was...comforting. It didn't stop the fact that his death was closing in on him but it did help take away some of his fear. Perhaps he was finally beginning to understand what this whole hugging thing was about..,

 

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.” She murmured. “I don't know much about robots but if there is anything I can do to help, please tell me!”

 

He somehow managed to choke out a weak laugh. “I told you already, I'm not a robot! “His voice had become surprisingly strained. “As much as I wish someone could, nobody can help me. It's just the way things are. I got to live far longer than I should have and while it always hasn't been pleasant I am happy to have made it this far.”

 

She placed him back down on the chair. “Hold on just a sec.” She said, running off into the lobby.

 

She returned with a piece of paper. She wrote something down on it and ripped that part off before shoving it into his paws. He glanced down at it and blinked. It was an email address. He looked back up at her, confused.

 

She smiled. “Don't tell me the self proclaimed 'not a robot' computer doesn't have an email address?”

 

The truth was, he didn't. He never had anyone to email before.

 

“You gotta keep me up to date on all the weird stuff that's going on! You can do that, can't you? At least until the end? I wouldn't want you to be alone all that time.”

 

He found himself smiling sadly. “O-of course!”

 

The truth was, he wasn't even sure he could run his email program anymore. Courage had used it couple of times several years ago doing stupid thing like 'calling' the police through email. He was almost certain his system had degraded to a point where he wouldn't be able to run it properly anymore. Of course, it didn't really matter though, he'd never be able to...

 

He pushed that thought away before he could finish it. He didn't need his sense of inferiority getting him down too. He wanted to believe that he still had a choice to stay here with Nina but he knew that the choice had already been made, as much as he hated to admit it. He was going back with Courage. The thought depressed him considerably but he knew he was doing the right thing. Courage didn't deserve to die and he wasn't going to do so because of him.

 

Despite coming to his decision, he was still going to act like he was planning on staying when he finally talked to Courage. He wanted to see how the dog would react. This would be the thing that would finally prove to him if Courage was really genuine in his kindness. He knew it wasn't the nicest thing to do but he would never be able to trust him completely without knowing first.

 

“Hey, do you think you could do something for me?” Nina asked, pulling him out of his thoughts yet again. “Your a computer so maybe you can help me with ours?”

 

“What's wrong with it?” He asked.

 

“I'm not sure but me and dad are not really that good with computers. It hasn't worked correctly for almost as long as we've had it. I only really use it for emails myself.”

 

He almost could have laughed. “You have no idea what sort of horrors we computers have to face in the hands of inexperienced users. Trust me, I know from experience.”

 

“Can you teach me how to use one?”

 

“I can try but hopefully you're a better learner than someone else I know...”

 

“Good! I promise you can have as much coffee as you want if you do this!”

 

They finished breakfast and she led him into one of the rooms. It housed a computer that was somehow even more ancient than he was. He couldn't even recognize the brand!

 

He hopped into the chair and got to work. It almost took ten minutes for the machine just to get to the desktop. Part of him just wanted to put the poor thing out of its misery. He could almost sense the thing begging for death. It was so old he wasn't even sure how it was working anymore. This grandpa of a computer was showing him up!

 

“Oh boy, this thing doesn't even have anti virus...” He muttered weakly.

 

“Is that bad?” Nina asked.

 

“This is going to be a lot harder than I though...”

 

Looking through it a bit he realized just what terrible shape it was in. He was already considering doing the dreaded 'reformat'. It seemed like that was the only thing he could do to get this poor computer running at proper speeds again.

 

“Ugh, I hate to break it to you kid but I think your dad knows the true meaning of rule thirty four....”

 

“Rule what?”

 

“Never mind, you don't want to know. Oh for the love of....it's taking up half the space on here! Your dad has one heck of a por....DON'T LOOK” He yelped, nearly falling out of the chair trying to push her away. “That's it! This computer isn't salvageable! I'm reformatting it!”

 

What he really wanted to do was smash the thing to pieces and pour holy water on it...

 

What was that one thing with the girls and the cup doing on here!

 

The girl didn't seem to understand why his mouth seemed to be progressively dropping further with every click. He had traversed some of the seriously darker parts of the internet back in his day but her dad was into some seriously weird crap...

 

“What's reformatting?” She asked.

 

“It'll get this computer working again.” He replied, glad for an excuse to pry his eyes away from the screen. “Your dad doesn't know anything about computers right?”

 

“Not a thing.”

 

“Good! First thing I'm putting on here once the formatting is done is parental controls. Hopefully he never figures it out...”

 

He hated to think what kind of viruses were probably eating this machine alive right now. Reformatting it was practically a mercy kill at this point.

 

“Don't worry gramps, it will all be over soon.” He said to the machine as he initiated the reformat. “Soon you won't have to remember any of the horrors you've witnessed.”

 

“You look like your about to hug the thing. It's just a computer you know.”

 

He glared at her.

 

“Oh! Sorry! I forgot!”

 

“Whatever...” He sighed.

 

“You two look like your having a touching moment. Do you want me to leave?”

 

“Ugh, it's fine!” He grumbled.

 

“So, do you think you could make her a girl computer now?” She asked

 

“W-WHAT?” He gasped, whipping around.

 

“Can't you make her talk like you?”

 

“N-no! Of course not!”

 

“Why not? Can't you do whatever it is that makes you able to talk?”

 

“I'm not sure why I can talk and I certainly can't do it to another computer. Besides, I technically don't have a gender anyway, much less grandpa over here! He wouldn't be a girl even if he could!”

 

“Yes he would! And you seem like a guy to me! ”

 

“A masculine personality does not equal gender! If I had my real body here all I would have to do is change my voice and you wouldn't even know the difference! Machines don't have genders!” He crossed his arms. “Especially not girly ones!”

 

“I don't think you'd make a very good woman anyway...” She said trying not to laugh.

 

His eyes narrowed. “Just don't get any funny ideas, kid!”

 

“But I thought you said gender doesn't matter?” She asked, laughing. “You wouldn't have a problem turning into a girl since you aren't technically a guy either. You would do it for me, wouldn't you?”

 

“I don't want to be a girl, thank you very much! You can keep your dolls and your ponies and your whatever else to yourself!”

 

“Awww but having another girl around would be nice! You'd make a terrible girl but a girl is still better than a boy! You can't make this computer talk and you don't want to change genders either so I'm stuck!”

 

“And I plan on keeping it that way!” He yelled. “Ugh, flesh creatures!”

 

“Ugh, computers!” She groaned at the same time. “All I wanted was another girl to talk to and all I get is Mr. Grumpy Robot over here!”

 

He crossed his arms. “Better a grumpy robot than a girly machine!” He argued back.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	54. The Confrontation

Chapter 54: The Confrontation

 

Computer spent the next several hours getting the old computer back up and running. He used that time to teach Nina how to use it properly. It felt like he was doing a service for his brethren by making sure that there was one less tech illiterate person in the world. He wished he had more time to teach her because she seemed to soak everything up with ease. It was a shame that the twit wasn't into this sort of thing as he could learn a lot himself.

 

Nina's dad soon got up and she introduced Computer to the aging ferret. He was pretty nice despite his, er, 'interesting' internet habits, and he was perfectly welcoming too. He didn't seem even slightly opposed to the idea of having a dog around.

 

Lunchtime quickly rolled in and Computer found himself surprised at how fast time was going by. He knew that he was stalling his eventual meet up with Courage, but he didn't mind. He was certainly giving the twit some time to get his priorities straight and hopefully this would accumulate into making sure that he wouldn't get whacked across the head again.

 

“You haven't eating anything yet today.” Nina commented as they got ready for lunch. “Don't robot dogs have to eat too?”

 

“Well, I'm not exactly fond of eating.” He admitted with a shrug.

 

“How can you be?” She asked. “Eating is fun and it tastes good too! All you gotta do is make sure that you don't eat too much.”

 

“Courage pretty much told me the same thing too.” He sighed. “I'd rather not risk choking again though.”

 

“Choke? Most people don't choke when they eat. Did you?” She asked.

 

“Uh, I guess so...”

 

“You should try again once lunch is ready.” She urged him. “You might start to like it.”

 

He shook his head. “I'd rather not.”

 

“You can't go forever without eating! It's just like sleeping! You've gotta do both!”

 

“I'd rather go without.” He grumbled under his breath. “I really hate all the things you organic cre-”

 

“Hey,” Nina's dad said, poking his head into the kitchen and interrupting him. “That other dog is in the lobby right now.”

 

“You gonna go talk to him?” Nina asked, turning back to Computer.

 

He was certain that his internal organs had just twisted up into a bunch of knots. “I'll wait until he goes back outside. I'd rather not get into an argument with him in here.”

 

“Argument?” She asked.

 

“We fight a lot, haven't you noticed?” He replied, pointing to the bump on his head.

 

Without warning, Nina picked him up and hugged him again. He was once again rendered silent by the kind gesture.

 

“Tell him that he can have lunch with us if he wants to.” She spoke. It was obvious that she didn't want her new robot dog to go out there.

 

“I'll try and ask, but I think he's going to be pretty angry with me after this.”

 

“Just don't let him crack your head open again, okay?”

 

“I can try.” He laughed somewhat sadly. “Twits will unfortunately be twits.”

 

The next ten minutes were probably some of the hardest he had ever endured. What was the dog doing that was taking so long? He knew that there were still some doughnuts left in the lobby, so maybe the dog was having a late breakfast. As far as he knew, Courage hadn't returned to eat after Nina had talked with him earlier that morning.

 

He waited in the hallway, keeping just far enough away so that no one could see him from the main lobby. He had taken a risk and looked out twice. Courage was looking terrible. He seemed exhausted and on the verge of tears. He keep his head down and his ears drooped. Computer would have gone out right then and there, but he wasn't sure how the dog would react to his sudden reappearance and he didn't want to get into a fight with him while Nina was so close.

 

The dog was indeed eating a few leftovers they had left out in the lobby. The whole place was deserted at the moment. Nobody had shown up to rent a room since they themselves had done so last night. Nina had talked to a few people who were leaving early this morning, but that was it. One obviously did not get a lot of business in a place like Nowhere.

 

Finally, after what felt like forever, Courage got up and left. As soon as the door closed, Computer entered the lobby. This was it, it was time to see how Courage really felt about him. Hopefully it would not end up the same way things had gone down back in the forest.

 

Wincing, he braced himself for the worst.

 

“Here goes nothing.” He muttered out before opening the door.

 

Courage had already gotten halfway across the parking lot by the time Computer had exited the building. The pup did a small jump when he heard the glass door close. Computer waited for him to turn around, and he did.

 

Courage's eyes seemed to all but light up at the sight of him. He had expected the dog to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he closed the distance between them and tackled him to the ground in a hug.

 

Computer became acutely aware that he was practically being crushed to death, and aside from the fact that he could barely breathe, this reaction from the dog had left him utterly speechless. He had not expected things to turn out like this.

 

“I've been looking all over for you!” Courage whimpered. “I-I thought you'd left! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!”

 

Computer steeled himself for what he was going to say. Part of him didn't even want to do this anymore as it would just hurt Courage needlessly. He was genuinely surprised by how the dog was acting. He had not expected this at all. Where he had expected anger, there was only guilty pleading from the dog.

 

“Go home, Courage.” He finally said.

 

No faltering now. He had to make sure that he was convincing.

 

“W-what?” Courage gasped, gazing up into his eyes.

 

Computer forced his expression into something between both mild anger and complete determination. He so badly wanted to remain expressionless, but he knew that he'd slip up if he did so.

 

“Go home.” He repeated. “I've decided that I'm staying here.”

 

Courage's face filled with complete bewilderment. He seemed to be at a loss for words. Every attempt he made to talk just came out as breathless air. It was like his brain could not comprehend the words that had just been spoken.

 

“C-Computer, what a-are you-” He managed to stutter out.

 

“I've made a new friend and she wants me to stay here. I've decided that I like it here too, so I've offered to be her pet. She's my new owner now.”

 

The dog's eyes began to fill with tears. “But, Computer, what about, w-what a-about-”

 

Computer allowed his eyes to narrow. “That's your problem now! I suppose you should have thought about this before you tried to crack my head open!”

 

The dog's watery eyes slowly moved upwards until they fell upon his bandaged head. “I-I'm so sorry.”

 

“Sorry isn't good enough anymore!” He yelled, pushing the dog away and standing up. “I have a real owner who cares about me now! So go home!”

 

He was dredging up genuine anger over how Courage had been treating him lately. He wasn't truly angry anymore, not really, but he could still drum up those lingering emotions for this little act of his.

 

Courage backed up several steps. Tears were still rolling down his face. “Computer, can't we-” He whimpered. “C-can't we work this out s-somehow? The full implications of what was happening seemed to slowly be dawning on him.

 

Computer crossed his arms. “Absolutely not! I _hate_ being with you!” He spat. “I have a real home now and I don't have to live in some awful attic ever again! I don't have to spend all of my time being bored, being alone, and especially being _lonely_! I don't have to put up with you or anything you routinely put me through! I can't believe I bought into all that crap about us being friends! We never were! You were just using me the whole time! Just like all of my other owners! At the end of the day, I'm still just a computer for you to boss around!”

 

His words were surprisingly genuine. He was voicing a lot of his frustrations and suspicions that he had been harboring for so long now. Even now a part of him really didn't want to go back with Courage. He could see his life as Nina's pet laid out before him, and he really wanted it. It was a respite from the hell that had been his life for so long. It was something that not even Courage could give him, regardless of the dog's intentions, good or bad.

 

Courage was stunned silent by his words. He just stood there, trembling. Tears continued to roll down his face. It was a sorry sight indeed, and Computer really did feel bad for it. He was waiting for the dog to get angry, or worse, violent. He was expecting it. Courage wasn't just going to let this happen without saying or doing something about it first.

 

“But what about my illness?” He whimpered out. “I-I need your help. You, you said that you wouldn't abandon me.”

 

“Find somebody else to save your worthless hide! I don't want anything to do with you any longer! I don't owe you anything and I don't have to do anything for you if I don't want to! You should have tried to stay on my good side, you stupid twit!”

 

 _'Come on! Get mad!'_ He thought to himself. He was waiting, expecting, getting ready for the worst, but the dog just stood there and cried. He seemed so crushed and that was far worse for Computer to endure than dealing with his anger.

 

“I'm sorry, Computer.” He spoke, sniffing once and then straightening himself up. “A-are, are you really that happy here?” He asked.

 

Computer blinked. “Yes, I am. I've spent some time with the people who live here and I want to stay with them. These people actually want me around for a change, instead of just wanting to use me.”

 

“B-but, but I do want you around too!” The dog argued so pathetically that Computer had to fight the urge to wince.

 

“Correction! You just want me to help you, that's all!” He snarled out instead.

 

“N-no, I-”

 

“You don't want me around because I'm just an inconvenience! If none of this had happened, I'd be up in that attic rotting away right now! You wouldn't have given me a single thought for days now!” His tone was coming off far more scathing and bitter than he intended it to.

 

“That's not true!” Courage yelled. “You've already got a home! You belong with us! You're a part of our family!”

 

“No, I'm not! And I'm not going back with you!”

 

He expected the fighting to begin now, but it did not.

 

Courage closed his eyes. “Are you really that happy here?” He asked for a second time.

 

“Yes! And I'm staying here no matter what you say! I'm actually appreciate for a change and I am not giving that up!”

 

“Can you wait here just for a second?” Courage asked. He had managed to stop crying and there was now an almost calm acceptance to him.

 

Computer found himself blinking with surprise at Courage's request. What was he up to?

 

“I-I guess.” He answered. “What are you going to do?”

 

“Just wait here.” Courage replied, turning around and heading over to their room.

 

A wave of fear washed over Computer. The dog was going back to get the pan! In a moment of panic, he considered the possibility of asking Nina for help. Courage wouldn't dare attack two people! On the other hand, the dog had nothing left to lose now and he was probably planning on going down with a fight.

 

He cringed, unsure of what to do. This was what he had been going for. He had wanted to prove to himself that Courage wasn't really as kind as he seemed. No, he had really been trying to prove to himself that Courage _'was'_ as kind as he had hoped, but now it was clear that it was all one big lie. This was what he had so desperately wished wasn't true. He'd have to face the dog head on, just like everything else. No running away this time.

 

The dog came running back. There was something in his paws, but it wasn't the pan. His face was filled with a grim acceptance that only helped to confuse Computer even further.

 

What was going on? What was Courage going to do? Computer wasn't sure what was in the dog's paws, but several unpleasant possibilities ran through his head.

 

Courage thrust the thing into his arms and he glanced down at it. It was the yo-yo the dog had give to him back on farm. It was supposed to be lucky, right?

 

Now it was his turn to be temporarily stunned. “Why are you-”

 

“Promise that you won't forget about me?” Courage asked, giving him a surprisingly happy smile.

 

“W-what?” He choked out. The dog was just going to let him go? No arguments, no pleading, no _anything_?

 

Courage seemed to read his thoughts. “If you want to stay here, I can't stop you. If these people really make you that happy then I wouldn't want to take them away from you anyway. I'm not going to force you to do anything. If you really are happy here then I'm happy for you too!” His voice trembled with those last few words and he was still fighting back tears despite his smile.

 

Computer almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood there with his mouth agape, unsure of what to say to the dog. Where was the anger? Where was the inevitable fighting? This was not what he had expected. Courage was just....accepting this?

 

“Please don't forget about me.” He repeated, all while continuing to smile. “If you really don't want to see me again, that's fine, but m-maybe you could come visit once in awhile? I mean, I'm probably not going to be around much longer but, but-” His smile cracked and he broke down crying all over again.

 

“Courage...” Computer found himself muttering out without even realizing it.

 

He was wrong, completely and utterly wrong. Courage wasn't stringing him along at all. The dog was genuine. All those thing he had said, he had meant them, every last word of it.

 

Courage turned, still sobbing, and began to walk away. He looked back one last time to say, “Thank you for everything, Compute. I'm glad you've found a place where you belong and where you're happy. You deserve it.”

 

He let the yo-yo fall to the ground with a clatter. _'He wants me to be happy?'_ He thought. _'He doesn't even care if he dies, just so long as I'm happy?'_

 

“Hold on!” He cried out, racing forward until he overtook Courage. “I-I didn't mean any of that! Well, I was planning on staying here, but then I decided that I was going to keep my promise to you, and I'm going to keep helping you no matter what! I only put you through all that because, b-because I needed to be sure.”

 

Courage slowly gazed up at him. He didn't seem convinced. “Needed to be sure of what?”

 

“That I could really trust you and that you really were my friend. I'm sorry. I keep misjudging you over and over again. I didn't mean to doubt you, it's just that it's very hard for me to trust-”

 

Courage cut him off. “Y-you're still going to help me?”

 

“Yes! I promise! I do want to stay here, but I'm not about to let you die either.”

 

Courage face went red and he began to cry all over again. What on earth was he still sobbing about? Everything was going to be alright now!

 

“Come on, dog. You don't have to keep crying.” He said, trying to comfort his friend.

 

“I-I thought you were going to leave me to die! Why'd you have to do this?” He sobbed. “I spent the whole day looking for you! I thought you'd gone away and I didn't know where to look for you anymore! I-I was so worried!”

 

“Look, my friend offered you lunch, if you want it, but I don't think she'd want to see you bawling your eyes out like this. It's going to be alright, twit.”

 

Courage nearly tipped him over a second time with another crushing hug. He continued to cry near endlessly, much to Computer's annoyance and disappointment. This wasn't how he had wanted this to end. He hadn't meant to hurt Courage this badly.

 

“It's alright, Courage. Everything's going to be fine now, so please stop crying.”

 

“S-sorry.” He choked out, but his sobbing did not let up.

 

“I'm the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have strung you along like that, sorry.”

 

He meant it. Had he known that Courage would take this so badly, he would have never, ever-

 

“I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!” Courage continued to plea between sobs.

 

“Fine, how about you promise not to crack my head open again and we'll call it even?” He spoke, trying to cheer his friend up in any way he could.

 

To think, Courage was actually willing to let him do whatever he wanted, just so long as it made him happy. He almost couldn't believe it. How stupid he was to have doubted how much the dog actually cared about him. Yes, he knew now without a doubt that Courage was worth saving.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	55. Love (Is Not) In The Air

Chapter 55: Love (Is Not) In The Air

 

Courage found himself unable to stop crying. He was both happy, sad, and even a bit angry with Computer. The entire morning had already been traumatic for him and Computer's sudden desire to leave had wreaked him completely.

 

He had been looking for him everywhere and had all but given up hope just before the glowing dog suddenly reappeared like he hadn't been missing at all. Being told to go home had crushed him. He still couldn't believe that Computer would trick him in such an awful way and he was so glad that it wasn't the truth.

 

As much as he hated to admit it, he was surprised that Computer liked it here. He was glad that he wasn't actually staying though, but regardless, he was willing to accept whatever his friend wanted. If he wanted to return here after all of this was over, Courage would have to let him go. If this was what really made him happy then who was he to try and stop him? Computer deserved a chance to be happy for once in his life and if this was where he truly felt like he belonged, Courage knew that he would have to accept it. It didn't make him feel any better, but if Computer was happy then he would be happy for him too.

 

“For the last time, dog. It's going to be alright.” The glowing dog spoke. There was an unusual amount of sympathy in his voice and it appeared that he really did feel bad over what he had done.

 

After a few more choked sobs, Courage finally managed to get himself under control. He kept sniffing, and it took a lot of effort not to break down sobbing again, but he somehow managed to get his emotions back under control.

 

“S-sorry...” He muttered out for what felt like the millionth time today.

 

“You haven't had any problems while I was gone?” Computer asked, clearly trying to change the subject. “Your fever hasn't acted up, has it? No attacks or blackouts? You haven't been hurting at all?”

 

“I-I'm fine.”

 

“Good, good!” He sighed, sounding somewhat relieved. “We should go inside. I don't want to keep my friend waiting for us too much longer or else she might think that I've ditched her too.”

 

“Alright.” Courage agreed with a nod. He took a moment to rub his reddened eyes.

 

The machine gave him a surprisingly warm smile. “How long are you going to keep answering me like that?” He asked. “I know that you can speak more than a few words at a time.”

 

“S-sorry, I'm still a little bit shaken up.” He admitted.

 

“Well, cheer up, dog. I'm almost certain that you'll like my friend!” Computer assured him. Then, rushing somewhat, he grabbed Courage by the arm and took him over to the building.

 

They went through the lobby and the owner gave Computer a passive nod as they went by. Apparently the two knew each other now. They then went through a hallway that connected the main lobby to the kitchen. Once inside, they were met by a teenage, human-like, ferret girl in a pair of pajamas. Her body type reminded Courage of many of the other human sized animals that walked about Nowhere, and he also recognized her as the girl that he had talked to while he was still looking for Computer. She must have lied to him.

 

Her eyes lit up the moment she saw the two of them. Racing forward, she picked Courage up and he was almost crushed as she gave him an incredibly painful hug.

 

“Oh, you must be Courage!” She exclaimed. “You're so adorable!”

 

“Arbaru...” He choked out in his dog speak. It felt like his ribs were cracking....

 

She placed him back down onto the floor, much to his relief, but it was there that he noticed that she seemed to be eying him up with quite a bit of concern. It was then that he realized that he must have still looked like he had been crying.

 

Computer lightly elbowed him in his side. “Her name is Nina.”

 

This Nina girl seemed to have forgotten to introduce herself. She dropped to her knees and got so close to Courage that their muzzles almost met at the nose. “Computer told me about you!” She exclaimed. “You've gotta tell me about everything you've seen! I want a first hand account!” Her eyes were practically ablaze with joy.

 

Courage took several wary steps back and gave her a confused look before glancing over at Computer. The machine shrugged as though this were no big deal.

 

“She likes the supernatural, so I told her about all the things you've been through.” He said.

 

“And I want you to tell me about it yourself!” She added. “He only knows about the things you've directly told him. Well, aside from that one time he ran around in your owner's body. He could tell me everything about that one in detail.”

 

Courage turned to Computer again and exclaimed, “You actually told her what you really are?”

 

“Well, yeah.” He answered with another shrug. “I didn't see any reason not to. Although, I was certain that she wouldn't believe me at the time.”

 

Courage blinked and turned away again. He couldn't help but be surprised that Computer had actually shared the fact that he was, well, a walking and talking computer with this girl. He was even more surprised that he had shared the story about his time as 'Mega Muriel', much less with a person he had only just met. Just what the heck had happened to him while he had been missing? Did he really trust Nina that much?

 

“Oh, and I'm sorry about lying to you before.” Nina added. “He made me promise not to tell you where he was.”

 

“It's alright.” Courage replied with smile. “Just promise not to listen to him next time!”

 

“Well, Courage.” The bubbly ferret girl went on. “I'm about to make some sandwiches if you want one.”

 

He placed a paw to his stomach. All he'd eaten today were a few doughnuts so he was pretty hungry.

 

“Sure.” He answered.

 

The next couple of minutes were almost surreal to him. The way Computer interacted and talked with Nina was so unlike how he normally was that Courage was left wondering if this truly was the Computer he thought he knew so well. He would speak to Nina without any of his usual bitterness or sarcasm, and sometimes he even laughed or went along with whatever jokes she made, and his expression was mostly devoid of the usual glumness that had once seemed like a permanent fixture.

 

All Courage could do was stand there with his mouth hanging open. Computer really ' _was'_ happy here, and it left him in near disbelief at what he was seeing. Why did that machine never act like this around him? Was he really that much worse than Nina to Computer?

 

“What are you doing just standing there looking like an idiot?” Computer asked, startling him out of his thoughts. “At least sit down if you're going to stand there with your mouth hanging open. What's the problem anyway?”

 

Courage shook his head. “N-nothing! Nothing!”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

 

“Hey, I'm going to need some celery!” Nina called out to him from over by the counter.

 

“I, uh, I'm on it!” He answered, speaking somewhat reluctantly as though he hadn't quite known how to respond.

 

Courage followed him over to the fridge where he stood for a few moments, staring at all the food inside. He reached a paw in to grab something but then stopped half way. His expression turned to mild frustration, much to Courage's amusement. Figuring that he'd be nice, Courage reached in and grabbed the celery for him.

 

“This is celery.” He told the befuddled glowing dog.

 

Computer's confusion quickly turned into annoyance. He gave Courage a surprisingly hateful glare and snapped, “Don't patronize me, you idiot! I know what I'm doing!”

 

“Why were reaching for the spinach then?” Courage asked, giving him a gentle, if somewhat smug smile.

 

“T-they're both green! As far as I'm concerned, all food looks the same to me! It's not my fault that you stupid flesh creatures need to learn how to color code your food better!”

 

“I was just trying to be helpful, you know.”

 

“Well, you're not! So don't you dare make me look like a fool!”

 

“I wasn't!”

 

“Yes, you were!”

 

“No, I wasn't! Why do you always have to assume the worst in me?”

 

“Don't give me that! I know the way you are, you twi-”

 

“STOP FIGHTING!” Nina finally yelled, putting a foot down between the two of them. “You guys haven't even been in the same room for ten minutes yet and you're already arguing! Geez!”

 

“Hmph! You see what I meant?” Computer complained, turning up his nose.

 

“You're the one who started it.” Courage grumbled.

 

“You were the one who was trying to make me look like an idiot!” He shot back.

 

“You're doing a pretty good job of that right now!”

 

“Don't you dare call me an idiot, you twit! You're the one who's stupid!”

 

“Oh, for goodness sake! Stop fighting!” Nina cried out for a second time. “You really weren't kidding about the whole fighting thing, huh?” She exasperated to Computer.

 

“It's his fault!” He snapped, pointing a finger at Courage. “He's trying to make me look bad in front of you!”

 

“Ugh! That's enough! Make up, right now!” She demanded.

 

Computer blinked. “What?”

 

“Make up with him, now!” She demanded a second time.

 

“Make up with him for what?” Computer drawled. “He's the reason why-”

 

She grabbed them both by the scruffs of their necks and hoisted them upwards.

 

“NOW!” She demanded, dangling them both in front of her face.

 

“Oh, fine! It'll do whatever you want, just let go!” Computer yelled. He was flailing around like a fish on a hook.

 

Still looking more than a little annoyed with the both of them, she lowered them back down onto the kitchen floor. “Now both of you make up like proper friends friends!”

 

“Sorry.” They both said at the same time, but it was obvious that neither of them had meant it.

 

“Ugh, good enough.” She sighed, slapping her face.

 

As soon as she turned around to get back to work on the sandwiches, Computer grabbed Courage by the ears and pulled him into the hallway.

 

“Ouch! Hey! Stop it!” He yelped, pulling himself free. They were about four or five steps into the hallway by the time he had managed to escape the glowing dog's grasp.

 

“Listen up!” Computer hissed, his voice just barely above a whisper. “Stop trying to make me look bad! I don't want her thinking that I'm not good enough!”

 

Courage winced. Not this again! Computer was still hung up on the whole 'not good enough' thing?

 

“What do you want me to do?” He huffed, ignoring Computer's severe expression. “Am I just supposed to sit there and act like I don't exist at all?”

 

“Of course not!” Computer argued. “Just...just don't do ' _that'_ again!”

 

“I was only trying to help!”

 

The machine sighed and ran a paw down his face. “Let me figure things out on my own, okay? I was doing fine until you showed up. I don't want her to think that I'm just one big screw up. It can't be helped that I never bothered to learn all the nuances of daily flesh creature living. Please, dog. I don't think I would be able to bear it if she,” His blue face almost seemed to drain of color. “if she...” He trailed off.

 

Courage couldn't help but grin. “Ha! I don't believe it! I leave you alone for half a day and you go and get yourself a girlfriend?”

 

Though he was only saying it to tease Computer, he really was surprised at how enamored he seemed to have become with Nina over such a short period of time. He wasn't sure if Computer was one to develop a crush, but this seemed pretty close to the real thing.

 

The machine gave him a startled glance. “G-girlfriend? Of course not! She's just a kid, and I'm old enough to be her grandfather!”

 

Courage stifled a laugh. “I don't know, it seems to me like you're trying to impress her.”

 

“Absolutely not! All I am doing is-”

 

“Aww come on, Compute! You don't have to hide your feelings!” He laughed, patting the flustered machine on his shoulder.

 

Computer was practically fuming at this point. “' _Great'_ grandpa!” He spat out between his clenched teeth.

 

“Maybe she's into, er, older computers?” Courage snickered, barely able to hold in another fit of laughter.

 

“And that's the other thing! I'm not one of you flesh creatures! I can't just-”

 

“I'm just joking!” He finally relented. “If you get to joke about that girl we met at the veterinarian office then I get to joke about this!”

 

Computer looked just about ready to strangle him. “Don't you ever joke about such things again! I do not partake in your flesh creature mating rituals, you got that?”

 

Courage chuckled. “I like how you call love, 'mating rituals'.”

 

“Bah I don't understand the first thing about all this love nonsense! You've got romantic love, friendship love, family love, sibling love, and all sorts of other love that I don't know anything about! You can keep it all to yourself! I want nothing to do with it!”

 

“What? You don't want me to help you get a date?”

 

“Absolutely not!” He all but exploded.

 

Courage burst out laughing again. “Alright, alright! Fine! We'll drop the love thing, okay?”

 

Computer gave him a few choice insults, whipped around, and stomped back into the kitchen where Nina was waiting for them. Courage kept his distance, but as soon as he too returned to the kitchen, Nina presented the sandwiches to them. His stomach immediately began to growl.

 

“What were you two doing?” She asked, gesturing at them both to sit down at the table.

 

“Nothing much.” Computer grumbled, briefly eying up Courage with a hateful expression.

 

“Oh, hey!” He quickly spoke up, stifling a giggling fit. “Computer just wants you to know that-”

 

The machine's face filled with horror and he nearly slid halfway across the table just to clamp Courage's mouth shut before he could finish his sentence.

 

“Don't....say....a...word.” He growled.

 

“Well, you're not my type anyway.” Nina said completely out of nowhere.

 

“H-huh...” He gasped in bewilderment. He turned his eyes off Courage to look at her.

 

“You two were being so loud that there was no way I couldn't hear what you were saying.” She laughed. “So, yeah. Don't worry, I'm not into old, computer dogs.”

 

All of the tension seemed to leave Computer and he flopped back down into his chair. “Oh, thank goodness.” He sighed.

 

Courage grinned. “You're the only person around who would be happy to know that they just got rejected.”

 

Computer angrily pointed a finger at him. “This is your fault, you twit! You're the one who had to go and say something stupid!”

 

“Hey! You were the one who was being loud!”

 

“I was not!”

 

“Yes, you were!”

 

“Don't start fighting again, you two!” Nina interjected.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	56. The Newest Plan

Chapter 56: The Newest Plan

 

“You can't keep going without eating!” Nina pressed. “Robot dog or not, you gotta eat something!”

 

Computer hadn't touched his sandwich. He was gazing down at the thing in disgust.

 

“You still haven't eaten anything in all this time?” Courage asked.

 

“I don't want to.” He said with a sigh. “I can go without.”

 

“No you can't!” They both said at the same time.

 

He cringed and looked down at the sandwich again. “I really, _really_ don't want to.”

 

“It's just one sandwich.” Courage replied. “Eat it and you won't have to eat anything else for awhile.”

 

The machine muttered something under his breath that he did not catch. He suspected it was something sarcastic given the look on his face.

 

The glowing dog gave a defeated sigh and picked the sandwich up with a distasteful look. He inspected the thing as though it were contaminated and shuttered. He plopped it back down on the plate and crossed his arms.

 

“Alright, fine.” Nina spoke. “No more coffee until you eat something.”

 

“I can go without coffee too.” He muttered.

 

“It's not that big of a deal! Just take one bite!” Courage said with encouragement.

 

“I took one bite last night and it almost killed me!” He replied.

 

“No it didn't! You were fine! You're not going to choke!”

 

“Doesn't your stomach hurt?” Nina asked. “It's gotta be awfully hard to keep going like that. Most people can't concentrate when they're hungry.”

 

He picked the sandwich up again. “Isn't there an easier way to do this?” He asked, staring at the thing with a complete lack of enthusiasm.

 

“We'd have to start feeding you through a tube!” Courage laughed.

 

“Bah! Why did you organic creatures have to evolve to take in sustenance like this? It's disgusting!”

 

Nina took a bite of her sandwich. “I'd rather eat like this than live off electricity like you machines do.” She said.

 

“I'm starting to miss electricity...” He sighed. “At least that didn't require chewing.”

 

Both Nina and Courage laughed at his statement. He glared at them angrily and crossed his arms a second time.

 

“Stop worrying and eat!” She demanded.

 

He gave a defeated sigh and picked up the sandwich again. “Stupid organic creatures...” He grumbled and took a bite of the sandwich.

 

The face he made as he chewed and left both his companions howling with laughter. He shook his head as though he'd just eaten something sour.

 

“Terrible!” He exclaimed, tossing the rest of his sandwich back on the plate. “If you two idiots are going to sit here and laugh like hyenas then I'm going to go finish this little exercise in torture elsewhere!”

 

“Just hurry up and finish!” Courage laughed.

 

“Why, so you two can keep laughing?”

 

“We can't help it!” Nina replied, giggling loudly. “You just look so funny when you do that!”

 

The machine slid down into chair, seemingly embarrassed by her laughter.

 

“Finish that sandwich!” Nina demanded. She was scolding him like a child.

 

“I'd rather not. I don't want to remain the mockery of you two clowns...” He grumbled.

 

“Fine! We promise we won't laugh until you finish!” She replied. It was obvious that she was still fighting back laughter.

 

Courage wasn't doing much better himself. He was only keeping a straight face for Nina's sake and he was barely pulling it off.

 

“That's not good enough!” Computer demanded. “Turn around, both of you!”

 

“Isn't this just a little drastic?” Nina asked.

 

“How can we be sure you won't just get rid of the sandwich while we aren't looking?” Courage added.

 

“It's either that or I won't eat it at all, you twits!”

 

“Come on Courage, lets do what the grump wants.” Nina spoke, turning around in her chair.

 

Left being glared at by an angry computer, he wasn't given another choice. He turned around in his chair too and sighed weakly.

 

Nina elbowed him in the side and giggled. Neither of them turned around but both of them devolved into giggles. Nina pointed behind her and they both began to laugh. Even now this was ridiculously funny.

 

“Quiet you two!” Computer demanded and they both fell silent again.

 

“It's just a sandwich, can't you eat it faster?” Nina asked. She let her chin rest on the chair and gave Courage a bored look.

 

“Alright, I'm done.” Computer replied immediately. They both turned around to find the sandwich completely gone.

 

“We'd better look around.” Nina said to Courage. They both got up to check around for the missing sandwich.

 

“I didn't even get up!” Computer spoke.

 

“We don't trust you!” Nina replied.

 

“I am not a liar!” He yelled.

 

“You shouldn't have made us turn around, maybe we'd believe you then.” She said, checking under the sink.

 

“You're both being idiots! All this over a stupid sandwich! I ate it like you asked, so knock it off!”

 

“Alright, fine.” She sighed. “We'll believe you.”

 

“Good! Now that this little game is over I want to...”

 

She grabbed her half eaten sandwich and handed it to him. “Courage says you haven't eaten much so maybe it would be good if you ate a little more.”

 

“Augh, no!” He yelled. “I swear you are both turning into my mother!”

 

The two of them burst out laughing again. He rolled his eyes and went to work on the sandwich with that same look of utter disgust.

 

“We only do it because we care!” Courage laughed.

 

“Doubtful...” He mumbled.

 

“Aww, don't be such a grump, Computer!” Nina said, placing a hand on his back. “It is Computer right? I thought you didn't have a name?”

 

“That's hardly a name...” He grumbled.

 

“Just don't start calling him Compute, he hates that.” Courage added, smiling at the angry glare the machine gave him.

 

“Compute, huh?” She asked with a grin.

 

“Don't you dare start with that too!” He growled.

 

“You really don't like being teased do you?” She asked, elbowing him. “You tease Courage an awful lot too, you know. You shouldn't do to others what you don't want to happen to yourself.”

 

“I don't appreciate being made a fool of.” He grumbled. “That idiot over there always makes a fool of himself all on his own. I only point out the obvious.”

 

“Uh huh...” Courage replied with a roll of his eyes.

 

“You'd be six feet under right now without my help. Here I am stuck with you because you can't take two steps without nearly getting yourself killed! If I had known I'd be stuck in an attic for the rest of my life I would have never...”

 

Courage felt his ears droop. “Computer, if you really want to come back here after this is all over, you can. I'm not going to stop you.”

 

The machine's expression lightened for what seemed like the first time all morning. He opened his mouth to say something but Nina cut him off.

 

“He's not.” She interjected. “He told me before that he's...”

 

The machine's expression turned to that of complete horror. He shot up out of his chair. He shook his head and waved a finger at the girl, desperately trying to get his message across.

 

“What?” Courage asked, raising an eyebrow. Computer obviously had something he didn't want him to know...

 

“I...I...um...” The machine tried to respond.

 

He was clearly thinking up a lie and Courage gave him a knowing glare. What had he told Nina that he wasn't telling him?

 

“Don't look at me like that!” He yelped. “I-I told her I couldn't stay because I need to remain with you on the farm. What good does it do if I save your life only to have you killed by the next supernatural threat that lands on your doorstep? I have a vested interest in keeping you alive and I don't want it to go to waste.”

 

Courage wasn't convinced but he let it go. What was really going on? He'd have to press the issue later but now wasn't the time.

 

Nina shrugged and sat back down. Courage gave her a look saying, 'Tell me what he really said!' but she ignored him. She was obviously on Computer's side about this and wasn't going to waver on it.

 

“Can I finally say what I've been meaning to say this whole time?” Computer asked after a long moment of silence.

 

“You've been trying to say something?” Courage asked.

 

“A couple of hyenas were getting in my way...” He grumbled. “Anyway, I have a plan for what we need to do next. Those tickets we got for the bus are pretty much useless now. They might have stretched their usage for a day or so but now I doubt they're going to take them. We need to get back into town and get them exchanged. I was able to get into Nowhere yesterday to get you your medicine but those people from the vet are still on high alert. It's a minor miracle I managed to get back without being caught, especially with the whole issue of glowing and everything...”

 

“What did you guys do in that place anyway?” Nina asked. “You never really talked about it.”

 

“It's a long story, I'll have to tell you it later.” He replied. “If it's alright with you, I'd like for us to stay tonight anyway.”

 

“Of course you want to stay the night!” Courage chuckled.

 

“Quiet, you!” He spat.

 

“Of course you guys can stay.” She spoke.

 

“This will give us two whole days for those idiot vets to give up their search. I'm doubtful they'll give up completely since they DID lose pretty much all their animals but it will be safer. For that reason I'd like you to come with us too, Nina. Those idiots are much less likely to bother us if they think you are our owner. It's a bit of a walk and I'll understand if you don't want to do it but...”

 

“Don't worry about it, I could never let you guys get caught. I'll help in any way I can.”

 

“Thank you.” Computer replied, sounding surprisingly sincerer. “I just hope we don't run into anyone who has a grudge against us. That janitor won't exactly be happy to see me...”

 

“We probably will.” Courage said with a sigh. “What _hasn't_ gone wrong for us yet?”

 

“You do have a point...” Computer replied. He placed a paw to his chin. “Alright, we will keep to the alleyways then. I'll have us go in the same way I got in yesterday. You'd think those idiots would be smart enough to patrol the places dogs would most likely be hiding.”

 

“Don't jinx it...” Courage muttered.

 

“Don't worry, I got through fine yesterday.”

 

“ _Everything_ always goes wrong!” He reaffirmed.

 

“What else can we do? I don't see you with any bright ideas!”

 

“Wait...” He murmured. He remembered something. “I _do_ have an idea!”

 

“Oh really?” Computer asked, placing his paws on his hips. “Lets hear it.”

 

“There are a lot of caves under Nowhere right?”

 

“Don't even bother with something like that. The catacombs under Nowhere are like a maze, they go on forever. We'd never find a way out down there.”

 

“I know that! But there's a cave just outside of town and I've used it a couple of times. If we take a very specific path it leads right into that park in the middle of town! The building we need to get to is only a few block away. If we gunned it we could probably get down there without running into anyone! You give off enough light that we wouldn't even need flashlights!”

 

“Are you crazy!” He asked. The outrage in his voice was apparent. “I don't want to deal with anything living under Nowhere! I'd rather take on those ax crazy vets then deal with whatever's down there! What if we get lost? We'd wander around forever until starvation set in or something decides to make us lunch!”

 

“I thought you said you'd start listening to me more often?” Courage asked angrily. “Can't you at least consider this? I'm not as stupid as you think I am!”

 

“I did say that but I never said I'd just go along with whatever crazy plans you come up with! This sounds just as bad as walking into that forest! I don't want to go through something like that again!”

 

“I've gone through the cave several times, Computer! It's safe!”

 

“And I have several books worth of information on just how horrible those caves are! I'd rather not have my flesh sucked off by a man eating...”

 

“Computer!”

 

“I am not doing this again! Just because I made the mistake of thinking that forest was safe doesn't mean you can go and do the same thing too! Those caves are bad news and I want nothing to do with them!”

 

“Enough, you two!” Nina finally interjected.

 

“I know what I'm talking about.” Courage spoke, glaring at the machine.

 

“And so do I!”

 

“It's safe! I know it is!”

 

The machine rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright! If you're so sure about this then I will trust you! But I swear, if we run into anything that...”

 

“We won't! It'll be fine!”

 

“I seem to recall saying the same thing about the forest...” He muttered. He looked over at Nina. “Since we're going to be taking this little detour I don't think we'll be needing your help after all. I wouldn't want you to get hurt on account of this idiot over here.”

 

“Are you kidding me?” She asked enthusiastically. “We're going through a creepy cave? I would never miss something like that!”

 

“No, no! Absolutely not!” Computer spoke, shaking his head vigorously. “It's far too dangerous!”

 

“No it's not...” Courage muttered under his breath.

 

“I wouldn't want you to get hurt or killed. You think all this supernatural stuff is fun but being eaten by a thirty eyed monster certainly isn't. Trust me, I know what sort of things are down there and...”

 

“You can't change my mind! I want to come!” Nina replied. Her expression had become dead serious. She was set on this and he wasn't changing her mind.

 

He placed a paw against his forehead. “I suppose I can't stop you, can I?”

 

“We still might need her help.” Courage added. “We still have to get to the building without anyone coming after us.”

 

The machine sighed weakly. “If you two idiots get me killed I swear I'm going to...”

 

“What happened to my risk taking computer?” Courage laughed. “The one who jumped off the empire state building?”

 

The machine rolled his eyes. “He got left behind in the forest! Honestly, dog! You tell me I need to be more cautious and now that I am you tell me I need to be less! Make up your mind, you twit!”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	57. Hunkering Down For The Night

Chapter 57: Hunkering Down For The Night

 

The rest of the day was fairly normal for Courage, at least as normal as it could be for a dog with a computer as a friend. He spent a lot of the time talking with Nina about his various adventures and she really did want to hear _everything._ She was never satisfied unless he gave her every minute detail and she usually asked so many questions herself that it felt like he was spending half the time answering her. Computer himself often added his own snippy comments. It annoyed Courage to no end but Nina seemed to find his jabs very funny. (Who uses a computer to call the police? Honestly!)

 

Dinner was once again spent badgering Computer into trying to eat something. Aside from that issue they were also trying to keep him from attempting to cook again. He claimed he was ready to try again but Courage didn't dare trust him and, despite his protests, Nina insisted on helping him which left Courage breathing a sigh of relief. That machine probably couldn't tell the difference between ketchup and hot sauce and he didn't dare trust him to figure it out, not after the abomination he made last time.

 

This time Nina's dad had joined them. He was a pretty laid-back guy and seemed to enjoy the extra company. He found Computer's attempts to be a cook just as hilarious as they did and often added his own little touch to everything they were cooking. Nina claimed he was the best cook in all of Nowhere and after sampling some of his food, Courage almost had to agree. Muriel would have loved to trade recipes with him and he began to wonder if maybe he could stage a meet-up between the two once this was all done and over with.

 

“Come on, Computer! This is delicious! Try some!” Courage spoke as he waved a plate in front of his friend's face.

 

“No thanks...” He groaned. “I'm done attempting to eat for one day.” He had just endured almost an hours worth of badgering from Courage and he still hadn't given up on it. He was so annoyed with both his and Nina's antics that he hadn't even asked for any coffee!

 

“Well, I'm stuffed!” Nina announced. “It's getting pretty late so we should probably go to bed. I have a feeling we're going to have to get up early tomorrow.”

 

“Yes,” Computer agreed. “We should get up as early as possible. The less people we run into tomorrow the better.”

 

“Don't go getting yourself into trouble. Got that, Nina?” Her father spoke.

 

“I know, I know.” Nina sighed. “We shouldn't have any problems anyway. A bunch of dog catchers aren't going to give me any trouble.”

 

Courage wanted to disagree with her but decided against it, if things could go wrong they usually did but he wanted to remain optimistic. She was right that it's only a bunch of dog catchers and veterinarians but these people were practically crazy. He wanted to believe she was right and that these people wouldn't bother them but he wasn't sure. Getting a couple of bus tickets exchanged couldn't be _that_ hard, could it?

 

They headed upstairs for the night. He was surprised at how big this building was for just two people. There were a lot of extra rooms and they were either filled with boxes or nothing at all. He thought to ask Nina about it but never really got the chance. Her room was filled to the brim with figures, posters and books about ghost and monsters and anything else creepy. He couldn't help but find himself interested even if half these creatures terrified him. He was glad that a lot them had never shown up on their doorstep, a few of them could have swallowed Muriel whole.

 

“That's a hag.” Nina said. She'd caught him eying down a figure of a decrepit old woman.

 

“What's this?” Courage asked. Pointing to something that looked like a tiny devil.

 

She spent the next half hour showing him all the weird things she owned. Aside from her figures she had what was apparently a real toenail clipping from Sasquatch, a bottle filled with sparkly rocks that could supposedly grant any wishes when the stars were alined correctly, a scale from the Mothman and last but not least, an authentic picture of a UFO.

 

It was during this entire exchange that Courage realized Computer hadn't pipped in with any of his usual snippy comments, in fact, he'd been awfully quiet ever since they got upstairs. Courage turned away from Nina, who was currently pulling out several books on 'shadow people', and found that the machine gone.

 

“Some people think shadow people are...”

 

“Computer's gone.” He interrupted.

 

“He probably just went to get coffee or something.” She replied and continued her monolog on shadow people.

 

Courage remained only half aware of what she was saying. He kept an eye on the door, he couldn't help but worry. It wasn't like Computer to just up and leave without saying anything, not unless he was up to something.

 

“You've seen real aliens, right Courage? This book says they all look like little green men! You said they're ducks though, right?”

 

Just as she said that, Computer did indeed return with coffee in hand. He gave Courage an odd look when he realized that he had been watching for him.

 

“Where have you been?” He asked.

 

Computer shrugged in response. “Getting coffee, what else?”

 

“Why didn't you say you were leaving?”

 

“I thought we had this conversation yesterday? I don't always have to tell you where I'm going.”

 

“But it would be helpful if you did!” He snapped. “Seriously, you shouldn't make me worry like that!”

 

“I'm not a child, you twit! I don't need you orbiting around me like I'm about to stick my head in wood chipper! Honestly, you act like I can't go two seconds without....”

 

“See, I told you he was just getting coffee.” Nina interrupted, crossing her arms. She was clearly intervening before another fight broke out.

 

Courage bit his lip and said no more. One of these days Computer would wander off and he'd never be able to find him again. Why couldn't he just listen? Why did he have to be so stubborn all the time!

 

Nina gazed over at her bed. “Hmm, I'm not sure where you can sleep, Courage.” She said.

 

“He can take my bed.” Computer spoke, waving a paw.

 

“She _made_ you a bed?” Courage asked with a grin. “Are you sure you two aren't....

 

“Quiet, you!” He snapped. “Coming from a dog pampered by his elderly owner, you have no right to talk!”

 

“Whatever you say.” Courage replied, trying not to laugh.

 

“Where are you going to sleep then?” Nina asked.

 

“The floor will do.” He replied with a wave of his paw. “I doubt I'll be getting much sleep anyway.”

 

Nina did not seem to like the thought of him sleeping on the floor. “Are you sure?” She asked.

 

“It's fine, I don't mind.”

 

“You can have my bed if you want.”

 

“I told you, it's fine! I can do without!”

 

“Well at least let me go get a blanket for you.” She replied stubbornly.

 

He tried to argue with her further but she wouldn't take no for an answer. He finally relented and she left the room to go look for a blanket.

 

Courage found himself standing there grinning like an idiot. Computer's annoyed expression meant he knew what he was thinking. He opened his mouth to say something but Courage interrupted him.

 

“Totally not your girlfriend, huh?” He asked with a chuckle.

 

“You're not going to let that go, are you?” He sighed.

 

“Nope!” He laughed. “Come on Compute, you should tell her how you really feel!”

 

“I know you're just pulling my leg so knock it off!”

 

“Then why do you act so flustered whenever I bring it up?”

 

“I do not! You're just driving me insane, that's all!”

 

“Maybe you shouldn't have joked about that dog we met.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah right, it was obvious! You were practically floating off the ground!”

 

“I was not!” He argued. “I didn't even get her name!”

 

“Don't give me that! I know next to nothing about you organic creatures and your mating rituals but even I could see it!”

 

“Ha! Well I AM an organic creature and I DO know how our 'mating rituals' work! I can't get you to trust me for even five seconds and yet you trust Nina in just half a day? I thought you weren't so trusting of other people, huh?”

 

“So? That doesn't mean anything!”

 

“I think it does!” Courage laughed.

 

“She's nice and she certainly didn't try to bash my head in with a frying pan! Leave it at that and stop pulling my leg!”

 

Nina returned before their argument could get anymore heated. Computer looked so annoyed that even she couldn't help but notice.

 

“Something wrong?” She asked.

 

He crossed his arms and blurted out with surprising anger, “Nothing!”

 

“If you say so...” She replied with a shrug.

 

Computer was given the blankets and they all went to bed. Nina was snoring within minutes but Courage lingered awake for awhile. He allowed himself to lay there with his eyes closed, he wasn't sleepy but he was exhausted. His illness seemed to be catching up with him, even after half a day of inactivity he still felt worn out. He had the sensation that he was being watched and open his eyes to find Computer glaring at him from across the room.

 

“You're not plotting to kill me in my sleep, are you?” He asked jokingly.

 

The machine crossed his arms and turned up his nose.

 

“Stop staring at me and go to sleep.” Courage continued.

 

He did not reply. Without a sound, he vanished beneath the blankets, lighting them up as though there were flashlights under them.

 

Courage sighed and closed his eyes again. Hopefully Computer would actually go to bed but he seriously doubted it. He contemplated staying up to make sure he would, but decided against it. He didn't want to fight with Computer again, especially with their fake falling out from that morning still fresh on his mind.

 

He heard Nina turn over in her bed. Slowly but surely he began to grow sleepy too. He thought of Computer one last time before falling deep into a dreamless sleep. He never heard the machine tossing and turning listlessly on the floor, he never heard him utter out a few mute words, what he did hear was a strangled cry which caused him to shoot up out of his peaceful slumber in terror...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	58. Nightmares

Chapter 58: Nightmares

 

A sharp cry from Computer left both Nina and Courage shooting up out of their beds. He was writhing around in his blankets, mutter out soft pleads.

 

“What's...uh...going on?” Nina asked, still half asleep.

 

Courage raced across the room and pulled the blankets off his friend. “Compute?” He asked.

 

The machine let out another cry at being exposed and attempted grab the blankets away from Courage but he was so disoriented that he could hardly do anything except fumble around blindly.

 

“Stay away!” He yelled, panic stricken. “I'll have you all deleted if I have to, so just stay away!”

 

“Computer, calm down!” Courage yelled.

 

His friend jumped up onto his feet and gave him such a powerful shove that he was sent careening into Nina's leg.

 

“Keep away from me!” He yelled. Nina took a step forward and he took a step. “Stay away!” He shouted. “How on earth did you break through? My defenses were perfect! You're just a bunch of viruses for all I care and you won't take this system without a fight! I'll delete every last one of you for this!”

 

He almost didn't seem to recognize them. This had to be more than just a simple night terror...

 

“What's wrong with him?” Nina asked desperately.

 

“I-I don't know!” Courage gasped. He was too afraid to get closer or else Computer would attack him again.

 

“I'm going to see if I can grab him.” She whispered. She moved forward, one small step at a time and Courage followed closely behind her.

 

“Do you think he's sleepwalking?” Nina asked. Courage shook his head. He just didn't know what was going on.

 

Computer continued to shout half baked threats at them. The fear and near panic in his voice continued to rise with every step they took. This had to have something to do with Him and the time his programs broke through Computer's defenses, it couldn't be anything else. Maybe Nina was right, maybe he really was sleepwalking. He seemed awfully awake to be sleepwalking though...

 

“Stay back!” He yelped, his eye flicking around. He was trying to find something to defend himself with. “Where are my...” His eyes flicked back onto them. “This is His doing isn't it? You're not even going to give me a chance to protect myself, are you? I haven't lost yet! You're not going to overcome me! You only got through because I was tired! You haven't even...”

 

His voice fell quiet for a moment and then he suddenly cried out and gripped his left arm. He collapsed to the floor, still clutching his arm. He muttered out a few words too quiet to hear and Nina made a hesitant step forward. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he looked so deeply in pain that Courage wanted nothing more than to run forward and help him.

 

Nina continued onward until she was finally standing beside the glowing dog. His eyes snapped open again.

 

“C-claws?” He gasped as she reached down to him. “Don't touch me! You're not taking anymore! This is my system and none of it belongs to Him! You won't....”

 

She picked him up and held him out at arms length. He struggled like a trapped animal, his nails digging into her hands.

 

“No! Let go! Let go!” He yelled. “This is my system! No program written by that idiot is going to rip me apart! I don't know what you took but I expect it back! Let go of me! Dammit, how did you managed to get your filthy claws dug into everything? How did you bypassing so many of my defenses? Do you know how much damage you'll do if you...”

 

He cried out again, startling Nina and almost causing her to drop him. He fell limp for a moment, making Courage think that he'd either gone back to normal sleep or something much worse had happened. The glowing dog cringed and opened his eyes again.

 

“Fine...” He growled out at Nina. “I'll do whatever He wants. Let me talk to him, just....don't do that again. I'll assist him in anyway I can, just so long as it eventually gets _you_ out of my system. Oh, and if you don't leave...” His eyes narrowed angrily. “The minute I regain control of everything I'll be sure to delete you, one line of code at a time....”

 

“Computer, what are you talking about?” Nina asked. “What's wrong with you?

 

He grit his teeth “What am I talking about? I'm talking about....about...” His eyes widened in horror.

 

“Computer?” She asked.

 

“I...” He glanced between her and Courage, seemingly confused. He quickly began to grasp the situation and gazed downward. “Great...just great. Please put me down, Nina.”

 

She wasn't having any of that. She turned him over to inspect him. “You're not hurt are you? What the heck just happened? Why were you acting like that?” She grabbed his arm, expecting to find it injured.

 

“I'm fine...” He muttered. “Please, just put me down.” He refused to make eye contact with either of them.

 

“Computer, are you alright?” Courage asked softly. He got no response.

 

Nina did indeed finally placed him back down on the ground. He flexed his left arm weakly, as though he were surprised that it was even there anymore.

 

“Hey, are you...” Courage began but the machine raised a finger to silence him.

 

“I need coffee, badly.” He muttered. He then left the room as fast as he could, leaving both his friends to stand there stunned.

 

“What was up with that?” Nina asked, turning to Courage. “I thought he'd gone insane.”

 

Courage sighed weakly. “Look...he probably doesn't want me telling you this but, well...he's had it rough.”

 

“Rough?” She asked.

 

“Yeah, most of his owners were pretty cruel to him. That's why it's strange that he's taken such a liking to you, he pretty much hates everyone by default.”

 

She laughed gently. “He didn't like me much at first either. I practically had to drag him kicking and screaming out of the rain.”

 

“A scientist took him and pretty much turned him into some kind of weird experiment. From what he told me, it sounded like it was unimaginably painful. The scientist would do so much damage to him that it would literally kill him but because he's a machine he could just be restored again only to have to go through it all over again. He barely came out of it sane and he's been having a hard time keeping his system from falling apart ever since. I'm not sure if I'm the best dog to tell you this but I'm not sure he'd give you the whole story himself even if you asked. I pretty much had to force it out of him.”

 

“So that's what happened when he said he was broken...” Nina muttered under her breath.

 

“He told you that?” Courage asked her.

 

“He just told me...” She stopped herself.

 

“What?”

 

“He doesn't want me to tell you, sorry.” She replied with a shrug.

 

Courage sighed and ran a paw down his face. “This again? Oh well...”

 

“Still, none of this explains what just happened.” Nina continued.

 

“There's a reason why he doesn't give you details about what happened in the forest. We encountered this creature that takes advantage of your worst fears and you can probably tell how bad it was for him. I don't think he's been taking it very well and I think he's been trying to hide it the best he can. He's been having nightmares and his way of fixing it is to not go to sleep at all.”

 

“Hmmm, no kidding. He didn't want to go to sleep yesterday either but the medicine I gave him knocked him out cold.”

 

“You were probably right when you said he was sleepwalking. It's strange though, he seemed awfully awake to be sleepwalking...”

 

“We should probably go check on him.” She added quietly.

 

“Yeah, I'll go talk to him. I'm sure I'll never hear the end of his complaining but I can't leave him alone like that.”

 

“Maybe I should go talk to him? I'm sure he wouldn't give me as much trouble.” Nina offered.

 

“It'd be better if I do it. I'm the one who knows the most about what happened to him.”

 

“Alright...but I'll be here if either of you need me.”

 

“Right.” Courage replied with a nod and headed out the door.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	59. Finding A Fix

Chapter 59: Finding A Fix

 

Courage found Computer in the lobby, at his usual spot, sipping at a cup of coffee. He joined him at the table and the machine seemed to cringe at his presence.

 

“I told you already, I'm fine. Go back to bed.” He said, clutching at his cup desperately.

 

“Playing out your dreams in real life is _not_ normal. You can't keep acting like nothing's wrong.” Courage replied, sitting down next to him.

 

“Nothing IS wrong! I'm perfectly fine!” He shot back. He was keeping his head down and refusing to make eye contact. He seemed embarrassed, if not outright afraid.

 

“Dodging the problem isn't going to make it any better. I know you haven't been taking the forest thing very well and there's no point pretending it hasn't affected you.”

 

“I'm fine, please just go back to bed.” He repeated, keeping his eyes trained on his cup.

 

“That's not happening. I'm going to stay here with you until you stop acting like nothing's wrong.”

 

He slammed the cup down on the table. “I...am...FINE!” He growled through grit teeth.

 

“You can't be! It's one thing to have nightmares but it's a whole different thing to start acting them out in real life!”

 

He shook his head. “Just go back to bed! I don't want a repeat of last night! This body doesn't have room for anymore bumps or bruises and my head is still pounding from the last time!”

 

“That's the other thing!” Courage yelled. “You've been completely paranoid ever since the forest! You keep acting like I'm about to turn around and rip your face off! It's driving me crazy!”

 

“You haven't exactly given me a reason not to!” He argued back, pointing to the bump on his head.

 

“That doesn't matter! There's something wrong with you and I want to help! I don't blame you for it though, anyone would be pretty messed up after going through the things you have.”

 

“So now you're saying I'm crazy? There isn't anything wrong with me! I'm not messed up! How can you even...”

 

“I didn't say you were crazy!” He interrupted. “I'm just saying that _anyone_ would have issues coming out of something like that, and you're no exception no matter how much you try to deny it!”

 

“I'm not denying anything because there's nothing to deny!”

 

“Then what the heck was that back there? It isn't normal, not even for us organic creatures!”

 

“It's not a big deal...” He sighed. “Just let it go.”

 

“You can't just blow something off like this!”

 

“It's not a big deal.” He repeated. He grabbed his cup of coffee and took a sip. “I've told you before, back when I first got away from Him I used to, well, relive those memories. I was disoriented and it was difficult for me to disconcert what was reality and what was in my head. It eventually got better and it stopped being an issue. Now it's happening again but I'm sure it'll go away soon enough. I'm sure I would have tried to act those memories out if I had a movable body back then too. It's not a big deal.”

 

“That _is_ a big deal. No matter what body you're in, this isn't normal.”

 

He shrugged. “It's not like _you_ can do anything about it anyway. It's my problem and I will deal with it myself.”

 

“Maybe I _can_ do something. You don't know for certain!”

 

“It doesn't matter, this is my problem and I will deal with it. It went away once and it will go away again.”

 

Courage shook his head. “You keep talking like you've got to do everything alone. This is the last thing anyone should have to deal with all by themselves. Come on, Compute. You help me, I help you. We've got each others backs.”

 

“I don't want your help! I've been embarrassed, undignified, and made a fool of enough for one lifetime! You always make things so much worse and it's hard enough for me to....ugh!” He stopped himself and shook his head angrily.

 

“This is more important than being embarrassed, Computer! I've told you at least a million times, I don't don't think any less of you for this!”

 

“I don't care! I'll handle this myself! It's my problem and nobody else can do anything about it! Besides, I've overcome worse! A few bad memories aren't going to stop me!”

 

“Stop being so stubborn!”

 

“Stop prying into things that don't concern you!”

 

“I have to! If I don't you just let things get worse! You don't eat, sleep, or do anything an organic creature needs to do unless I make you! This is no different than any of that!”

 

The glowing dog placed a paw up against his forehead. “I don't care! Go away! Please, just go away! I need...I need time to think, to get my thoughts together. I just....”

 

Courage's expression lightened. “You say you want me to go away but I don't think you really mean that. You look just like you did back when....”

 

“Enough! What's happened to Nina? She's going to be confused and I'm not sure how I'm going to tell her about all of this. I really wish I didn't have to but...”

 

“I've already talked to her about it and she understands.”

 

“Wait, you talked to her? Y-you told her... _everything_?”

 

“I didn't go into details, but yeah, I told her everything.”

 

His expression became horror-struck. “I-I didn't want her to know any of that! Especially not from you! She's going to think that I'm...I'm...” He squeezed his eyes shut.

 

“It's alright, she doesn't think any differently about you. You don't always have to assume the worse, you know.”

 

“That has yet to be seen...” He sighed. “Lets go back upstairs. I'd like to speak with her.”

 

“Well, if that's what you want.” Courage replied and got up out of his chair.

 

They both made their way upstairs. Computer swamped him with questions the whole way up. He seemed convinced that Nina didn't want him around anymore. He seemed like he was practically waiting for Courage to tell him that she was kicking him out or something.

 

“Are you positive she didn't say anything? Are you absolutely sure?” He asked desperately.

 

“For the millionth time, she didn't say anything!”

 

“Hey, you two!” She called out, startling them both. She met them halfway back to her room.

 

“N-Nina! Are you...” Computer stuttered out but she stopped him before he could continue.

 

“I think I have a way to help with your dream problem!”

 

He blinked. “What? How so?”

 

“Take a look at these.” She said, pulling out two wooden circles. Three feathers hung off each, along with a few beads. Whatever they were supposed to be, Courage wasn't sure and he was pretty sure that Computer didn't know either.

 

“Just what the heck are those supposed to be and how exactly are they supposed to help me?” Computer asked. He eyed the two wooden circles down precariously.

 

“They're supposed to be a...reverse dream catcher or something. You put one onto the forehead of someone who's about to go to sleep, then you put the other one on your own and then you can see into mind and dreams of that other person. I've had these sitting in a box forever and I just remembered them so I dug them out for you. I'm not sure if they actually work though.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait! These things will let one of you see into my mind?” Computer asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, it lets you see into the minds of others and interact with their dreams. Courage could go in and stop you from having nightmares.”

 

“N-no way! Definitely not! I am quite happy to have a skull and a bit of brain matter keeping his mind away from mine!”

 

“It seems like a good idea though.” Courage pipped in. He wasn't fond of the idea of being put inside Computer's head, but after watching him act out his dreams like that he was willing to do whatever it would take to help him.

 

“Don't you want to stop your nightmares?” Nina asked.

 

He closed his eyes. “I doubt they'll even work. Any desperate salesman could have convinced you that they're real.”

 

“Actually, I got them a few years ago from that Shirley lady Courage talked about before. Of course, I didn't know she had anything to do with you guys back then.”

 

He slapped a paw against his face. “Great, that's even worse! That just means they WILL work!”

 

“Well, don't you at least want to...” She tried to say.

 

“No!” He shouted, pointing a finger at Courage. “I don't want _him_ mucking around in my head!”

 

“I could do it.” She offered.

 

“Especially not you either!” He yelped.

 

She placed a hand on her hip. “What else do you want us to do? What if you keep sleepwalking like that? You're going to keep us up all night at this rate!”

 

He closed his eyes again and shuddered. “Alright, alright, fine!”

 

He turned to Courage and poked him angrily in the chest. “When you go in, don't...touch... _anything._ ” He growled. “For the sake of my sanity, don't go breaking anything either! Actually, don't even breath unless I tell you to! I don't want you getting your stupidity all over everything! It's probably contagious!”

 

“Are you sure this is safe?” Courage asked, turning to Nina.

 

“I don't know anything except what I was told back when I got these. It was awhile ago so I may have forgotten something.”

 

Computer threw up his arms. “Great! Not only am I going to have a twit running around in my head but it's probably dangerous too! If something can go wrong it usual does and this is a prime opportunity for everything to go wrong!”

 

“We've got to try something.” Courage said. “I can't say I want to go inside your head either but if I can help you, I'll do it.”

 

The machine gave him a long, hard look. “If you insist...” He finally sighed.

 

Courage smiled. “Just think of it as me repaying you for helping me when I was sick.”

 

“Let's just get this over with...” He sighed. “I swear, if this causes my IQ to drop I will...”

 

“I promise I won't touch anything!” Courage laughed.

 

“You'd better not!” He growled.

 

The three of them returned to Nina's room and they both when back to their respective beds. Nina placed the 'reverse dream catcher' on Computer's forehead and he frowned.

 

“This seems awfully stupid....” He grumbled. “Are you sure this will work?”

 

“We're just going to have to see.” Nina spoke.

 

He glanced over at Courage and asked Nina, “Why haven't you put this stupid thing on him yet?”

 

“You've got to go to sleep first or else it won't work. You don't want to end up in Courage's head, do you?”

 

He closed his eyes. “Now _that's_ a scary thought.”

 

“H-hey!” Courage yelled.

 

He opened a single eye and glanced over at him. “Don't you dare do anything stupid in there! Got that? I'd like to minimize the amount of damage this is clearly going to do to my head. But hey, perhaps my superior mind might actually improve yours!”

 

Courage scowled at him. “Just go to bed!”

 

The machine shrugged and closed his single eye again. The three of them remained silent and several minutes later he was fast asleep.

 

“Alright, lets get this done before he starts acting out his dreams again.” Nina said. She went over and placed the reverse dream catcher onto Courage's head too.

 

“Do you know what's going to happen?” Courage asked. He honestly had no idea how this was going to work or what would happen once he entered Computer's mind.

 

“I don't know, sorry. I wish I had listened more closely to what that Shirley lady had said.”

 

“How am I going to wake up again after I go in there?” He asked.

 

“If you two don't get back up by morning, I'll wake you up myself.”

 

Courage closed his eyes. “I hope this works...” He mumbled

 

“I hope it does too...” Nina replied. She added in quietly, “Good luck...”

 

Courage lay there for several minutes. At first he didn't feel very sleepy, in fact, he felt more awake than ever. He simply lay there, staring into the darkness of his eyelids. It seemed to surround him and soon it felt like he wasn't even in Nina's room anymore. A strange feeling fell over him and he tried to open his eyes again but he only found darkness. Panic gripped him but his entire body seemed to have been swallowed up by the dark. He couldn't even find his paws when he tried to wave them in front of what he assumed was still his face.

 

The next thing he knew, something slipping out from under him. Before he could register what was going on, he began to fall...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	60. Meeting The Memory

Chapter 60: Meeting The Memory

 

Courage was floating down....down....down....

 

He warily opened an eye and found only darkness all around him. Vertigo gripped his senses and he had to close his eye again. If this really was a dream, he felt surprisingly awake for it.

 

He then hit the ground, or at least what he thought was ground, with a thump. Whatever he was laying on felt weird, and bone chillingly cold too. He opened his eyes and found himself staring up into a microchip sky. He recognized this place. It had to be Computer's hard drive! He'd been forced to confront a virus that had taken Muriel here once before.

 

The floor beneath him was made out of a giant microchip too, which explained why it felt so strange to lay on. He was in some kind of hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. He didn't recognize this part of the hard drive, but most of it had looked the same no matter where he had originally gone anyway. If he was going to help Computer with his nightmares, he'd have to find him in here first.

 

At a loss, he stood up and began to walk. Something about this place felt different from the last time, but he couldn't put his finger on what. He glanced down at his feet and found that he was once again made out of zeros and ones, just like the last time he was here. Was this place really supposed to be a representation of Computer's mind? And just how the heck was he even supposed to find him in such a big place anyway? He hadn't even come across him the last time he was in here! For all he knew, everything around him _was_ Computer!

 

Sighing, he continued onward. He should have known that this wasn't going to be easy....

 

The long microchip corridor still showed no signs of ending. What if it really did go on forever? Well, if this _was_ Computer's mind, then it seemed to be pretty boring.

 

After walking for a few minutes longer, he stopped in his tracks. Something was hurting his ears. It was a dull hum, like the sound of electricity being pumped through a machine. It was getting louder with every second. He turned around, trying to figure out which way the sound was coming from, but it seemed to be everywhere. It even seemed to be coming from-

 

Halting that though, he looked up, and immediately wished that he hadn't...

 

Fighting back the urge to scream, he toppled backwards.

 

A big, black _thing_ with spider-like claws was hovering over him. As the microchip corridor did not have a ceiling, it left him exposed to the sky above and anything in it, including whatever that monstrosity was. A single glowing, red eye was fixated on him. He had no idea how long that thing had been there, but its presence had not cast a shadow and it seemed to make no sound, except the continuous, throbbing hum of energy.

 

He let lose a howl and ran away as fast as he could. The many clawed spider-thing followed him, floating above the two walls as silently as a ghost. He finally caught sight of a fork in the road and ran for it. Upon choosing a path, he moved down the new hallway for several minutes longer before finally reaching a clearing.

 

It was a simple squared area that broke off into many more microchip hallways in every direction, and he could have easily picked any path he wanted to take, but he knew that the clawed creature would have no problems following after him. The dull hum was starting to become unbearable. He gripped his ears, trying to block it out, but it didn't do him any good. It didn't take him long for him to find out why it was getting worse either. A whole host of those clawed machines were floating downward to join their brother. Several moved to block the exits and the rest surrounded him, circling like a group of vultures.

 

He took a step back, trembling in terror. He had no means to get away and those things looked like they were getting ready to attack. One stopped its endless circling and left the group, slowly closing in on him with its claws raised. Whimpering, he continued to back away. If he didn't think of something fast, he'd be...

 

There was a sound like metal being ripped apart and the machine's claws shot forward, pointing directly at him. He took a flying leap and just barely managed to escape the thin javelins before they could pierce him. The spider claws imbedded themselves into the microchip floor and Courage landed on stomach, just far enough away to be spared from the carnage.

 

As he was picking himself up off the floor, there was another grinding metallic sound and one of the claws freed itself from the floor. Bending in an impossible manner, it shot out at him faster than he could escape.

 

Screaming, he could do nothing as the claw struck his side, taking off his right arm and a good chunk of his torso with it. Ones and zeros exploded all around him, as though he were bleeding them instead of blood. His missing right half flopped to the floor and lost it's shape. He watched in horror as it too fell apart into a mess of ones and zeros.

 

The last time he'd been here, he had quite literally been 'beaten down' into bits of data by the virus's minions, but that had been different. He'd been able to 'pull himself together' again that time, but now he felt like his arm was really gone. He had nothing to 'pull back together'.

 

The microchip floor began to disintegrate around the claws that were still embedded in the floor. It was not just falling apart, it was being _sucked_ into that machine's claws. The data that had once been his arm floated over to the claws and vanished inside of them as well. Only a pitch black void remained where the microchip floor had once stood. It was a good thing that the claws hadn't taken all of it or else Courage wouldn't have had a place to stand. He certainly didn't want to find out what falling into a black void like that would be like.

 

Distracted by the strange events, he hadn't noticed that all glowing eyes were on him again. Those machines were no longer preoccupied with absorbing the floor and they were once again perfectly willing to absorb 'him' instead. They thankfully had broken formation after the first attack, and Courage decided to use the opening to make his escape. A terrible pain radiated from his missing half, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it right now. The mechanical monsters were following after him, forming a horrific black wall, eerily lit by their glowing, red eyes.

 

“What do I do? What do I do?” He babbled. He had nowhere to go! Nowhere to hide! Even if he could hide, what was stopping those things from ripping up his hiding place anyway?

 

On his left, he found another break in the endless hallway. It sadly led to a dead end, but there _was_ a small hole in the wall. It reminded him of the hole that a monstrous computer mouse had come out of the last time he'd been here. That thing had tried to eat him, and if he dared to get close to a hole again, maybe the same thing would happen again? He didn't exactly want to get chased down by an angry mouse monster along with those spider-things.

 

_Hummmmmm...._

 

...Well, he'd take the mouse over those claws any day!

 

It was a bit of a squeeze, but he managed to pull himself through the hole. The inside was surprisingly roomy, at least enough for him to stand up without bumping his head on the ceiling, and hopefully it would be enough of a hiding place to escape those horrific machines.

 

He peaked out of the hole and watched as the clawed monsters passed by. He'd been expecting them to turn and come after him, but they did not. He breathed a sigh of relief and moved away from the hole.

 

Whimpering, he assessed his damaged torso. It thankfully appeared that he would not bleed to death as pile of data shaped in the form of a dog. The gaping hole hurt quite a bit, but at least it wouldn't be life threatening in a place like this.

 

It was then, while he was settling down and trying to figure out what to do next, that he realized that there was _something_ watching him. It was a dim, bluish-green light that pulsated like a continuous heartbeat. It was floating close to the ground, near the hole, but he got a sense that it was looking at _him_ instead.

 

He jumped up onto his feet and slowly backed away, but the orb did not move. Actually, it didn't seem particularly interested in him at all. If it was dangerous, it didn't seem to be too much of an actual threat. At least it wasn't like those clawed machines....

 

“Hello?” He gently called out to it. He was surprised when the thing seemed to jump at the sound of his voice.

 

“H-Hello?” It asked back. “W-who are y-you?”

 

There was no mistaking that voice. It was Computer, somehow. He sounded lethargic, incredibly tired, and every word he spoke was stammered out like he were on the verge of panicking.

 

“Y-you're not-” The orb of light went on. “No, you c-couldn't be.”

 

Courage blinked. “Don't you recognize me?” He asked. “I'm Courage, remember?”

 

“Courage?”

 

“You really don't know who I am, do you?”

 

“You c-can't be one of his....h-his...” The glowing orb stammered. “Ugh, I can't remember anymore. You're not one of those...those _claws_...”

 

“Look, I've been trying to find you.” Courage told the orb. “And I'm so happy that I finally did! I thought those spider things were going to get me first!”

 

“T-they attacked y-you too?” Computer asked, floating closer to his missing arm. “Yes, if I concentrate on it a bit, I can see where they...” He trailed off.

 

Courage took a step back. “What are you tryi-” He attempted to say before his friend interrupted him.

 

“I never thought that they'd attack someone like you. I figured that they'd ignore a foreign object. Speaking of which, what exactly is a foreign object doing in my system?”

 

“Foreign object?” He asked, blinking as the light drew in closer to his missing arm yet again.

 

Computer chuckled. “Or should I ask what a 'Courage' is doing in my system? That's what you said you were, right?”

 

“I'm not 'a' Courage. My name 'is' Courage.” He tried to amend. “You really have forgotten, haven't you?” He muttered.

 

“My memory just isn't what it used to be.” The orb sighed. “And I'm just....too tired to think right now. Far too tired.”

 

He really 'did' seem tired. The glowing orb that was Computer dimmed and began to hover closer to the ground.

 

“Do you remember anything at all?” Courage asked him. “Do you remember how we got here or _why_ we're even here in the first place?”

 

“I don't even know who or what you are, aside from the fact that you're a foreign object. You make it sound like we know each other, and yet...” He trailed off again with a sigh.

 

Placing a paw to his chin, Courage tried to think. This was supposed to be the inside of Computer's head, right? Then maybe this was all just a memory? That would explain why his friend couldn't recognize him. The only question that remained was if this were the real Computer, who was without his memories, or if this Computer was just memory in and of itself. Either way, it was probably best to treat him like he were the real thing, especially when those clawed machines could do real damage, despite this all just being a dream.

 

“I suppose I haven't introduced myself.” Computer spoke, flaring back up into a brighter light. “It's not everyday that I get a, well, whatever-you-are in my system.” He hesitated a moment before speaking again. “I'm, um, ah...”

 

He erred for several moments longer before finally giving up.

 

“Well, you claim that we already know each other. So, who am I then?” He asked.

 

Courage stared. He honestly didn't know?

 

“You're Computer, remember?” He tried to remind the glowing orb.

 

“I-is that really it?” He asked. “I honestly can't remember anymore.” He hovered there for a moment before adding. “Wait, what did you say your name was?”

 

“I'm Courage.”

 

“Hey, aren't I supposed to be Courage?”

 

“No! You're Computer!”

 

“A-are you sure?”

 

“Yes, I'm sure!”

 

“You know, you do seem pretty familiar. Perhaps we really do know each other after all. Maybe that's why it's so hard to figure out who's who.”

 

Courage sighed. “We're friends, remember?”

 

“We are? I don't remember having any friends. Wait, what exactly is a 'friends'? I-is that whatever you're supposed to be?”

 

“No, I'm a dog. You and I together are friends.”

 

“Dog? T-those things that humans love so much? I think remember now.”

 

“Well, that's one thing.” Courage muttered. It seemed that everything else in Computer's brain was hopelessly scrambled.

 

“Wait, aren't I Courage and you Dog? O-or was I Friends and you Computer?”

 

With a groan, Courage slapped his forehead.

 

“What's the matter? Did I get it all wrong again?”

 

“I'm Courage and you're Computer!”

 

“Oh...oh yeah! Right! Wait, who am I again?”

 

“Computer!”

 

“I could have sworn I was-”

 

“Forget it!” He snapped, causing the orb to jump back in surprise. “S-sorry.” He quickly amended. “I'm just-”

 

“You don't have to apologize.” Computer relented. “You should just go. I wouldn't want those claws to attack you again, and they most certainly will if they ever catch you with me.”

 

“Listen, I want to help you.” He tried to tell his friend. “I'm sorry that I yelled, and I really do want to help. We could try to find a way out of here, or-”

 

“There is no way out.” The machine interrupted. “There is no escape. They made sure to see to that. Beside, I'm just...tired, and I want to rest. It won't be long now before-” The orb seemed to shudder.

 

Courage reached a paw out and caught the falling light as it dimmed down to a mere speck. “Have a little hope. I'm going to help you.” He assured the tiny spark.

 

“I'm sorry that I can't remember your name, whoever you are.” Computer spoke, sympathy filling his quiet voice.

 

“It's alright. I don't blame you, and I'm not mad either.”

 

“There just isn't much left of me anymore.” The tiny light muttered. “My short term memory is barely functioning at all, and my long term isn't doing much better either. I'm just a bit, er, confused right now because of it.”

 

Courage blinked. Perhaps this was the problem! Maybe if he could get his memory working again, he'd be able to get him to remember everything else as well!

 

“I could help you with that.” He gently coaxed the light. “Is there anything that I can do to fix your memory?”

 

“I'm afraid not.” He sighed. “'He' has everything locked down, and not even a 'whatever you are' would be able to do anything about it. It doesn't matter either way. My system is dangerously unstable. When 'His' claws come back again, I'll be destroyed and 'He'll' have to restore a backup.”

 

“If that's the case, then come with me. You don't have anything to lose, right? It's worth at least trying to fix, isn't it?”

 

“Not really. I'll go back to normal after my system collapses. The backup restores everything to its original state, including my memory. I just wish that I could forget everything that happens after the backup point. It seems that I have a horrible talent for recalling things that I should not. Those memories are supposed to vanish since they aren't saved in the backup, but they never do.”

 

“Then why not try and escape with me?”

 

“I told you already, I can't. There is no place where I can go that 'He' can't see me. Running is pointless.”

 

“But I might be able to get you out of here!” He continued, trying to reason with his friend. “I might be able to get you someplace where he can't see you!”

 

The machine laughed. “Sure! As if a place like that actually exists! Look, 'whoever you are'. It's best if you leave. I bet you wouldn't survive a system restore anyway.”

 

Courage let out a sigh. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get anywhere with him like this.

 

“Okay then. Why don't you rest? I'll go out there and see if there's anything I can find to help us.”

 

“If you want to, I suppose.” Computer relented. “It's a futile effort though. But, you will come back at least, won't you? You're the nicest, well, whatever you are, I've ever met. I'd hate to never see you again, at least before the system restore. Promise me that you'll leave when the time comes?”

 

“I'm not even sure you'd remember me if I came back.” He muttered.

 

“I won't forget about you. If I was going to, I would have done so by now.”

 

“But you can't even remember my name....”

 

“If it makes you feel any better, I can't remember mine either.”

 

Courage gave him a sad smile. “Don't worry, I'll find a way to help you. I promise.”

 

“You know what?” The orb murmured, flaring back up again. “I think I would like to come with you after all. I wouldn't want you to stumble into any of those claws. It may not look like it, but everything around you is _me_. I can always tell where those monstrosities are in my system and with my help, you can avoid them completely.”

 

“Are you sure you're up to it?” Courage asked.

 

“I'll be fine.” He replied, floating over to the hole in the wall. “Hiding here doesn't do me much good anyway. When the claws come for me, there will be no place to hide. They are connected to everything in this system, and by extension, me as well.”

 

Courage's ears drooped. “I'm really sorry.” He whimpered.

 

The orb almost seemed to do a double take. “Sorry? For what?”

 

“For everything that's happened to you. Nobody deserves this.”

 

There was a weak laugh from his friend. “I don't mind it much. I've gotten used to things being like this. Besides, it's easier to deal with when you can't remember much anyway.”

 

“Things are going to get better for you again someday. I know for a fact that they will.”

 

“You're joking, right? Once 'He's' finished with me, I will be left to die. I need his constant maintenance just to stay alive. Even if I found a way around that, I'd still-”

 

“Trust me!” He assured. “You're going to make it through this!”

 

The machine sighed. “That's a comforting thought. Too bad I don't place my hopes in much of anything anymore.”

 

Courage reached out and touched the glowing orb. It was almost uncomfortably warm and it made his fingers tingle, like he was being shocked by electricity, but it was the only assurance that he could offer his friend.

 

“It's going to be alright.” He gently spoke.

 

“I wish I could believe you...”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	61. Bonds Within Hopelessness

Chapter 61: Bonds Within Hopelessness

 

“You're sure the claws aren't around?” Courage asked.

 

“They're around but they aren't within our current vicinity. I can't guarantee it will remain that way though so we should get moving.”

 

Courage peaked out around the corner just to be safe. It was thankfully deserted. He stifled a sigh and moved forward. Computer hovered there for a moment and started to lose altitude.

 

“Uh...d-dog thing, where did you go?” He asked, his voice quivering. He began to float back and forth as though unsure of which way to go.

 

Courage blinked. “Um, I'm right here...”

 

“Oh thank goodness! I thought you'd gone away!” He cried out, rushing over like he'd just been shot out of a cannon.

 

Courage gave him a confused look. “I didn't go anywhere. Can't you see me?”

 

“Of course not! You aren't apart of my system and I can't see anything that's not there! I've been following your voice this whole time.”

 

“But back when the claws were going by you looked right at me!” Courage argued.

 

“I was trying to see what the claws were so worked up about. I didn't know you were there until you started talking.”

 

“That makes sense, I guess...” Courage sighed.

 

“The claws are hooked up to my system so I can see them perfectly fine and I used to be able to see foreign objects too but I've been locked out of so much that it's impossible for me to tell now.”

 

The orb flew in closer to his missing arm. He gave the thing a weird look even though he knew Computer most likely couldn't see his facial expressions.

 

“I wonder...” The machine spoke, hovering there for a moment. “I think I might be able to solve this problem and fix your arm too.”

 

“What are you going to do?” He asked.

 

“Just hold still for a moment.” The orb replied.

 

He floated over to the wall and Courage watched as one of the giant microchips began to crack. A large chunk of the wall removed itself and floated there for a moment. Computer being to pulsate faster and the chunk of wall disintegrated into a mass of ones and zeros. The clump of data floated over and began to attach itself to Courage. He watched with interest as they began to take on the form of his missing right half.

 

“Weird...” He said, flexing his newly made arm. It didn't feel any different from his old one.

 

“That wasn't so hard!” The machine spoke, sounding immensely pleased with himself. “I supplied you with data from my own system so now I'll at least be able to see where your arm goes. Try not to get it chopped off again or else I'll be blind to your movements.”

 

“It's not like I wanted it chopped off in the first place!” He growled.

 

The orb ignored his quip and floated forward. “This way!” He spoke.

 

“Wait, where are we going?” Courage asked. He ran to catch up with him.

 

“You said you wanted to try and fix my memory so we'll go over to my memory banks.”

 

Courage nodded. “Alright, that sounds good.”

 

“This may be a bit difficult if we want to avoid the claws but...” He stopped. The loud groaning of metal being bent out of shape echoed through the hallway.

 

“Wha...” Courage gasped. He turned around to find the bit of wall where Computer had pulled the data off to fix his arm was buckling under its own weight.

 

The orb began to back away and Courage found himself doing the same. The walls beside them were both beginning to buckle as well. The groaning of metal was all around them.

 

“Um...we should probably get out of here.” Courage said weakly, glancing over at the orb.

 

“Agreed!” He replied, his pulsing glow picking up like a rapid heartbeat.

 

Courage turned and ran as fast as his legs would take him. The floor began to shake viciously, almost knocking him to the ground but he kept up his pace and gasped as a wall came tumbling down inches behind him.

 

“Hurry up!” Computer yelled.

 

“I'm trying!” He yelled back.

 

The floor was being to rise. It was cracking off much farther ahead of him! He'd never be able to get that far in time!

 

“Move!” Computer cried out.

 

The floor continued to rise upward, slowing him down to a crawl. In a few seconds he'd have to start climbing this thing like it was a mountain. He glanced backwards and found that the entire hallway behind him was sinking into the rapidly growing void.

 

He continued forward, climbing up the thing on all fours. He could hear the crushing of metal as the floor continued to collapse. It was now sticking straight up and it took every bit of strength he had to keep climbing.

 

**CRASH**

 

Another chunk of the skyscraper that had once been the floor vanished into the void. He almost slipped from all the shaking it was doing. He was nearly to the top, if he could just get up there and jump...

 

“Hey!” Computer yelled. The orb appeared at the top of the rising floor like a beacon out in the middle of a storm.

 

Courage's arm began to feel numb, he stared down at it in surprise. He was made of data, he had no muscles that could fall asleep! Against his will it began to move, it let go of the wall and left him with his one arm to hang on with. It began to yank upwards, it was pulling so hard that he lost his grip and....didn't fall?

 

“WOOAAAHHHHH!” He screamed as he floated upward, his single arm was pulling him upward. It felt lighter than a feather...

 

With another loud rumble the floor he had just been climbing cracked apart and vanished into the void leaving him floating above the darkness and screaming helplessly. Computer met him as they onward.

 

“I'm surprised, I didn't think I could still do this.” He spoke. “I have control over the bits of data I put in you. It still belongs to me technically.”

 

“Don't question this until we get to solid ground!” Courage yelped, gazing down into the void beneath them. He didn't like the fact that his floating arm was the only thing keeping him away from that blacknes. Aside from his arm currently under Computer's control the rest of him was still dangling helplessly.

 

The sound of crashing metal rang out all around them. Whatever Computer had done, it seriously effected his system. In every direction Courage looked there was nothing but the void or crumbling bits of hard drive data. A piece of the microchip sky came crashing down mere inches away from them and Computer seemed to pick up the pace as more of the sky started to fall apart. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they were over stable ground.

 

Courage felt his arm go limp and he stumbled to the floor. The continuous sound of metal being destroyed caused him to turn and gazed back over the void. It was a stark contrast to the hard drive he was currently sitting in. Another piece of the sky fell into the void with a loud crash. If he squinted hard enough he could just make out the other side of the hard drive way out on the horizon.

 

“Oh dear, that wasn't supposed to happen...” Computer spoke. If he had a face it probably would have looked dumbfounded.

 

“What the heck did you do?” Courage asked, rubbing his arm. It was painfully sore after dragged him so far.

 

“All I did was move a bit of data over to you. Apparently the subsection just couldn't handle it and collapsed.”

 

“Look, don't go doing things like that, okay? If you really are that unstable then it just isn't worth it, not even for my sake.”

 

“Nonsense! If you're going to help me out then it's only proper that I do the same. Nobody has done anything nice for me in a very long time and I can't just ignore something like that. Besides, I don't want to follow around an invisible dog all day.”

 

Courage gazed back out over the void. “D-doesn't that hurt?” He asked weakly.

 

The machine seemed to hesitate. He floated there for a moment in silence.

 

“It hurts...it hurts a lot...” He muttered quietly before floating onward.

 

They continued their journey in silence. Courage didn't know what to say or what to do so he just remained quiet. Every once in awhile there would be a loud bang or the floor would shake ominously but aside from that their walk was uneventful.

 

Computer seemed to sway with every disturbance. Twice he almost dropped out of the air only to have Courage catch him as fell. He apologized profusely every time even after he insisted that it wasn't his fault. He was so distraught over it that Courage had to repeat over and over again that he didn't care.

 

They eventually came to a corridor blocked by fallen debris. Computer floated over to it and picked up the bits of wall with ease. He attempted to fit them back into place but the newly made wall simply collapsed again the moment he released them.

 

“Bah! This place never used to be such a dump!” He growled, tossing the worthless debris out of their way. “It's a shame I'll never be able to return to the way I once was. No matter what happens now this system is as good as garbage. In a sense I'm already dead, I'm just waiting for Him to pull the plug...”

 

“Come on now, don't talk like that...” Courage replied softly.

 

“It's true! I...I'm garbage now! I can't even function without Him keeping me alive! You're lucky to have caught me in one of my more lucid moments. Normally the pain is so bad that I...I...”

 

His friend began to diminish until he was barely a pinprick of light. Courage cupped the tiny orb in his paws. He brought the tiny thing up to eye level.

 

“Computer?” He called out.

 

“Sorry, I...I'm glad you're here. I don't know who or what you are, if you're one of His tricks or if you're just another hallucination, but I am indeed glad you are here. My head may be a bit messed up right now but even I know a dog can't just show up in my system at random. I don't know who or what you are and I don't care, just having you around makes thing hurt less. I could never repay you for that.”

 

“Don't worry about it...” Courage murmured. He pulled the fading light closer to him. “Let's just worry about getting your memory fix and then we can worry about whatever comes next. You don't have to believe I'm real but I'm still going to stick with you until the very end if I have to.”

 

Light began to return to the orb. “Until the end comes? And yes, I'm afraid it will come no matter what. No dog is going to stop it from happening...”

 

“Yes, I won't leave you alone.”

 

“That's...nice.” He muttered wearily. “I don't want to be alone again.”

 

“It's like I've been saying, we've got each others backs, but I'm sure you don't remember that though.”

 

“I don't remember much these days...” He sighed.

 

Courage smiled. “That's okay. I'll remember for the both of us.”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	62. The Memory Banks

Chapter 62: The Memory Banks

 

They continued ever deeper into the hard drive. Computer was moving at a blinding pace, often leaving Courage far behind him. He kept making sharp turns or would turn around completely and head off in the other direction. Courage was quickly finding himself panting for breath as he attempted to keep up.

 

“Can't we slow down just a bit? The claws are going to find us that easily.” He said between gasps for air.

 

“There isn't much time left! We've got to hurry!” Computer replied sharply. The glowing orb was seemingly picking up even more speed, much to Courage's displeasure.

 

The orb shot down another corridor and he was left far behind, panting helplessly. He placing a paw onto the microchip wall and gasped for breath. He hadn't thought that going into Computer's head would turn into a marathon run...

 

“Hurry up!” The orb shouted, reappearing from around the corner.

 

“I-I need a break!” He wheezed out. He didn't know if his condition could effect him in a place like this but he wasn't willing to find out.

 

“You flesh creatures are all so inefficient!” Computer spat, floating back over to him. “I'm half the machine I used to be and even I can still function better than you!”

 

Courage shook his head weakly and did not respond. It appeared that Computer's attitude hadn't been wiped out along with his memory. He never thought he would seen the day where he'd be happy to have the machine acting like his normal self.

 

The orb floated around in circles as it waited for him to catch his breath. The impatience in Computer's movements was almost human-like for a football sized light bulb. Courage wanted to joke about it but knew that now was not a good time. At least the machine seemed to be getting less and less confused and less lethargic as more time went by. He was beginning to wonder if maybe he was having an effect on his friend or if this was how the dream was supposed to progress, either way it was clear that his presence was at least helping Computer regain some of his former personality.

 

“Are you done yet?” The orb grumbled.

 

“I guess I'll be good enough for now.” He replied, stretching out his tired legs.

 

“Good! We don't have time to just sit around and do nothing so don't do that again!” The orb snapped angrily. Courage backed up as the thing drew in just close enough to nearly collide with his face.

 

“Alright, alright! Let's keep moving then!” He yelped. He waved his paw around to get Computer to back up again.

 

Both of them thoroughly annoyed with each others antics, they continued down the corridor in silence. They turned at an intersection and Computer almost felt out of the air in bewilderment at what he saw.

 

“Oh no...” He muttered quietly.

 

Courage blinked. The walls around them had given way to a massive cliff overlooking a huge part of the hard drive. The many clawed programs floated around in the distance but none of them seemed to notice the glowing orb or the dog made of data.

 

For all intensive purposes they had just hit a dead end as there was no other direction to go in. Judging from Computer's reaction it didn't look like this was where he wanted to go either...

 

“Computer?” Courage asked, gazing over at his glowing friend.

 

The orb began to float back and forth again. It's color had changed from a bluish-green to a light red in agitation. “I can't believe this!” He shouted.

 

“W-what?” Courage asked. He took a step back, the orb was glowing red hot and he was worried that it would explode or worse...

 

“I can't even find my own way through my own system anymore...” He muttered so quietly that Courage almost didn't hear him. “I knew my memory was going but I didn't think it was this bad! How can I not know which way to go inside my own body? Honestly!”

 

“It's alright.” Courage interjected. “We just need to keep looking for your memory banks, nothing else matters. Getting frustrated isn't going to help so calm down.”

 

“And not knowing where we need to go isn't going to help us either!” Computer argued angrily. He once again nearly collided with Courage's face.

 

“Try to remember! Finding something like your memory banks can't be that hard! I bet it would be big even in a huge place like this!”

 

“I bet you wouldn't be able to find your memories even in that tiny little brain of yours! My memory banks could be halfway across this system for all I know! With my memory damaged as badly as it is and with half my functions locked away, we could wander around here forever and still never find anything!”

 

“Try and remember! You've got to remember at least _something_ about where it can be found!”

 

The orb continued to pace back and forth for several minutes. It's color returned to normal and it stopped floating on a erratic path. “I think...” He began.

 

“Yes?” Courage asked weakly.

 

“I think it might be down there.” The orb bobbed in the direction of the hard drive far below them. “We might have been going in the right direction after all.”

 

“Are you positive?”

 

“I can't be sure of anything anymore. The fact that I'm probably talking to a hallucination right now should give you a good idea.”

 

“Fine, get me down there and we can keep going.”

 

“And what if I'm wrong?”

 

“Then we'll keep looking.”

 

Courage groaned inwardly as his arm became light again. He didn't like this method of flying at all. The next thing he knew he was floating down the massive microchip cliff, hoping that the only person keeping him from going into free fall wouldn't give out in midair.

 

_HUUUMMMMM_

 

He fought back a scream as one of the claw programs flew dangerously close to them. It apparently didn't even notice they were there as it flew off into the distance without so much as a backwards glace.

 

“Uh, Computer? Shouldn't we be worrying about those things?” He asked.

 

“They don't bother me unless it's time for another session with Him or if I'm doing something they deem suspicious. I do prefer to keep away from them though.”

 

“But they were pretty keen on attacking me before.”

 

“My data must be keeping them from seeing you as a foreign object now. It's a good thing that they're not because I wouldn't be able to do much to help you if they did.”

 

Rather than touch down, Computer kept them floating above the microchip walls. Courage felt like his arm was about to be pulled off so he wasn't very pleased with this new development.

 

“What are you doing?” He asked, trying to mask the pain in his voice.

 

“You move a lot faster this way. It's much more efficient than that walking thing you organic creatures do.”

 

Courage groaned but he did not protest further. He hoped his arm would hold out long enough for them to find the memory banks, IF they ever found the memory banks....

 

Five minutes later he was all but crying in pain. If his arm didn't fall off soon he'd still never be able to use it again. Being made of data and being apart of a dream didn't exactly stop him from hurting. They'd passed at least a billion different landmarks by now but none of them seemed to be the memory banks.

 

“Wait...” Computer spoke suddenly. He stopped them both in midair. “I think that's...”

 

He dropped them to the ground. Courage praised whatever deities there might be when his arm finally fell limp again. They standing in front of the opening to a large dome. He had seen it off in the distance before but since Computer hadn't commented on it he didn't think it was important. Many claws were sprouting out of the walls around it, blocking the passage inside.

 

“What are we going to do about those things?” Courage asked.

 

“I told you before, they have everything locked down. There's no way inside.”

 

The orb floated closer to the passageway, moving at a cautious pace. In response to his proximity the claws began to move and took a swipe at him. He flung himself backwards and nearly crashed into Courage.

 

“This was a stupid thing to do.” He sighed, pulling himself away from Courage. “I knew we'd never be able to get inside.”

 

“Don't give up just yet!” Courage reaffirmed desperately. He was determined to make this dream work out for the better, that was what he was here for after all. “What if you broke us a way inside?”

 

“You saw what happened when I broke a piece of my data off for you. Think of what my memory collapsing might do to me!”

 

“You said it yourself, it doesn't matter! You're about to be restored from a backup so taking a risk won't hurt you!”

 

The orb's flight pattern became erratic again. “You're kidding right? Do you have an idea how much it would hurt to have my memory collapse? Don't tell me it won't hurt because it will! Besides, I'd be left in a complete stupor if all my memory was gone!”

 

“I understand if you don't want to do this, but...”

 

“No buts! I don't want to risk it!”

 

“If your memory doesn't collapse we can get it working again. Don't you want that?”

 

“Why is it so important to you that I get my memory working again?” The machine questioned. His tone was becoming suspicious.

 

“You'll understand why once you're able to remember! You say we don't have much time left so lets hurry!”

 

“I seriously doubt I'll ever understand what's going on here. There's no reason why a dog should be in my system and nothing I can remember will ever change that fact.”

 

“You'll just have to see for yourself once we get it working again.”

 

There was a moment of silence as Computer made his decision.

 

“Dog,” He spoke, making Courage's arm levitate yet again. “I really hope this is worth it to you.”

 

“I'm just trying to help a friend.” He replied as they hovered up to the top of the dome.

 

“I can't imagine whatever I did to get a friend who's willing to do all of this just for my sake. If you're not a hallucination of course and I'm more inclined to believe that you are. Just last week He managed to make me think I was a human. I thought I had arms and legs and, well, everything...”

 

“Don't worry, I'm going to do everything I can to help you. Maybe we can still find a way out of this if we really try. We're friends after all, we've got each others backs.”

 

“I'm afraid I don't come equipped with a back. Only twits like you come equipped with backs and all that nonsense.”

 

Courage's eyes widened. “You just called me...”

 

“A twit? I get the distinct impression that that is what you are.”

 

He couldn't help but smile. “At this rate we won't have to fix your memory at all, Compute.”

 

“What did you just call me?” He asked, his tone becoming unamused.

 

“Even without your memory you still hate being called that!” Courage laughed.

 

“I-it's stupid!” The machine argued. “If you're going to talk as if the type of machine that I am is my name then at least say it right!”

 

Courage continued to laugh much to the displeasure of the glowing orb. They touched down on gray metal dome and Courage nearly slipped because of the steep incline. Computer's control over his arm kept him rooted to the spot but the rest of his body slipped and slide as the arm remained in the air.

 

“You flesh creatures don't have any balance either.” Computer muttered. He waited quietly until Courage finally stopped flailing like a fish.

 

“Sorry...” The dog laughed, using his free arm to scratch the back of his head.

 

“Here goes nothing...” The machine muttered. “I hope you're ready for a collapse, dog. Flailing around like an idiot isn't going to help you much there.”

 

Cracks began to form in the metal hull. The entire dome began to sway but it remained steady none the less. Computer removed the chunk of hull and tossed it away, they now had a hole just big enough to slip through.

 

Courage glanced up at the orb. “After you.”

 

“I'd rather not.” He sighed. “This was your bright idea so you go first.”

 

“Alright then...” Courage muttered. He hoped this was safe...

 

He slipped through the hole and began to fall until his arm once again turned into a levitation device. The dome was almost completely dark except for tiny little lights floating all around them. Upon closer inspection it appeared these lights were actually tiny microchips floating through the air. Courage grabbed one with his free arm and stared at it.

 

Computer noticed what he was doing and pipped in. “Those are my memories. They were ripped out of my memory banks and as you've probably guessed they're the reason why I'm having difficulty remembering things.”

 

The floor beneath them lit up at Computer's prompting. There were thousands upon thousands of square holes missing their microchips. Most were still enact but a long, vicious claw mark ran through one section of the memory. Courage then noticed that they were floating past several other microchips that were not glowing. They were about as dark as the section the claws had destroyed and they were very easy to miss because of it. He picked one up and was surprised to find that it crumbled away in this paw.

 

“That would be a corrupt memory.” Computer spoke.

 

“I-I didn't mean to break it!” He stuttered out, snapping his paw back so he wouldn't touch any of the other broken memories.

 

“You don't have to worry about it, corrupt memories are unrecoverable. Once a memory is damaged it can't be fixed.”

 

“Well at least only that one part is broken.” Courage sighed. “Everything else can be restored back to normal.”

 

“Uh, dog....” The machine spoke.

 

Another part of the dome lit up and his jaw dropped. Nearly the entire north side of the dome was a mangled, broken mess. The air was filled to the brim with useless, corrupt memories.

 

“You'd be surprised but He did not cause that mess. My memories are all corrupt past a certain point and it was like this long before He ever got his filthy hands on me.”

 

Courage nodded. “Yeah, you've told me before that your memory is missing past a certain point.”

 

“I did?”

 

“Yep, but it's a long story.”

 

“Well, hopefully I'll be able to remember it soon enough. Let's get started.”

 

Courage's feet touched the ground. He began grabbing as many memories as he could manage but the things were surprisingly difficult to keep a hold of. Computer on the other hand was already levitating several of them back into their sockets. Courage attempted to put one back into its place but it wouldn't fit.

 

“I can't get these to go back in.” Courage called out to the orb.

 

Computer floated over to him. “That's because they all have their own unique slots. I automatically know where they need to go but I guess I should have realized a flesh creature like you wouldn't know where to put them. This will hinder our efforts considerably...”

 

Courage glanced up and down the row of memories. There were a _lot_ of slots to fill and a lot of memories to catch. If Computer had to tell him where he needed to put every single one of them they'd never get done. He looked back up at the machine and gave him a stumped look.

 

Computer clearly wasn't amused. “I can't do this all by myself! There just isn't enough time!”

 

“Can't we do something to make this easier?” Courage asked.

 

The glowing orb paced back and forth through the air for several seconds. “Actually, there might be something...”

 

He floated over to a row of sockets and inspected them carefully before floating over to Courage and doing the same to him. He hovered over his arm for several minutes before finally seeming to come to a conclusion.

 

“W-what was all that about?” Courage asked carefully. He didn't want to worry but he couldn't help it not knowing whatever Computer was cooking up.

 

“Don't sound so panicked. I haven't done anything to you yet and I don't plan on doing anything to you anyway.”

 

“Then what were you doing?” He asked.

 

“I think I may have a solution to this problem. Pick up one of my memories with the arm from my data.”

 

Courage did as he was asked and the moment his paw touched the microchip there was a loud beep. He turned around in the direction of the sound and found that one of the sockets was flashing a different color from the rest.

 

“It's only a minor modification.” Computer spoke. “It was a bit difficult to do with everything locked down but I don't think I've alerted any of the claws. They always get finicky whenever I do anything suspicious but like I said, it's only a minor modification.”

 

“Well if that's out of the way then lets get going!” Courage replied happily. He placed the microchip back into its respective hole and began hunting down another. He didn't like the fact that he could only do one at a time while Computer was putting back ten to twenty in one go but nothing could be done about it.

 

He let out an exhausted sigh. There were still so many of these things to put back into place and it felt like the number of them wasn't going down at all. At this rate he'd wake up from Computer's dream and be just as exhausted as if he hadn't slept at all!

 

“We're about 98% away from my memories being fully restored.” Computer pipped in, seeming to have read his mind.

 

Courage groaned. “Don't give me the percentage!”

 

The first thing he was going to do after waking up from Computer's dream was go take a nap!

 

End Of Chapter

 


	63. Remembrance

Chapter 63: Remembrance

 

“55% left to restore.” Computer spoke, much to Courage's annoyance.

 

“It feels like we've been at this for hours!” He groaned. He never thought something so simple as putting a few microchips back into their place would be so tiring. It didn't help that half the time he'd pick up a microchip only to find out that it needed to be put back into its hole halfway across the dome. He was practically running laps at this point.

 

“It's only been about an hour.” Computer replied. He was still putting them back in by the dozen. “You're the one who insisted on doing this after all.”

 

Courage groaned and reached for the next microchip. At this rate, they'd be finished in the next couple of years...

 

“56% percent left to restore.” Computer pipped in yet again.

 

“Ugh! I thought I told you not to keep telling me!” He yelped, shoving another microchip back into its place. “Why do you have so many memories in the first place?” He groaned.

 

There was no response from the orb, which was a bit surprising.

 

He shoved yet another newly caught microchip into it's slot and rubbed his head. Could a dog made out of data sweat? He didn't take the time to dwell on that thought and reached for another chip. He had just caught the thing when he realized that something felt off. It was...a crushing atmosphere? Like the air was growing heavy, but...

 

He turned to ask Computer what was going on but several wires reached up from the floor and caught him. They wove themselves around his legs and up his arms. They clamped his muzzle shut and he was raised up into the air. He expected to find the programs about to attack but instead he found Computer. He was glowing red hot, the orb now twice as big as it had once been. The remaining microchips and debris that had been strewn about the dome swirled around the machine like a miniature typhoon. Static shocks issued forth from the orb, just barely missing Courage who couldn't believe the sight he was seeing. The entire hard drive shook viciously. The walls of the dome creaked dangeriously as though they were trying to get in closer and crush him.

 

“Just who the heck are you?” Computer asked, talking as though they were meeting again for the very first time. The rage in his voice seemed to shake the hard drive around them. “Are you a new trick of His? Are you even really there? I can't believe I just trekked halfway across my system with a foreign object! A dog in my system? Ha! Very likely!”

 

Courage's muzzle was still tied down so he couldn't say anything. He gave the extremely angry machine a pleading look.

 

“Well, since at least half of my mind is at least functioning properly again, I promise you I won't make the same mistake again!”

 

There was a flash of light and a recycle bin materialized in front of them. The wires moved him up above the bin and began to loosen...

 

“Mmmmph!” Came Courage's muffled cry.

 

“Time to find out if you're one of His tricks or just another hallucination! Either way this should get rid of you! I won't abide even a hallucination! I'm still sane and He can't take that away from me!”

 

The wires let go and Courage fell. He let out a scream but it was cut short as his head struck something hard and he was nearly knocked out. Stars dancing in his eyes as he slid off the recycle bin and hit the microchip floor.

 

“W-what?” Computer gasped.

 

Groaning, Courage gripped his head and looked up. The words, AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED, floated above the recycling bin. A thick sheet of metal had formed, covering the top of the bin. Courage now knew what he had hit so hard...

 

“Bah! I can't even delete a simple piece of data anymore!” Computer spat.

 

The recycling bin vanished again and Courage breathed a sigh of relief. His relief didn't last long though as several wires once again wove around him and sent him flying upwards.

 

“FINE!” Computer yelled, his tone growing even more panicked. “If I can't delete you the normal way then I'll just have to do it the messy way!”

 

The hard drive began to rumble again. This time a small portion of the floor gave way opening up to the black void below. Courage's stomach dropped as he tried to struggle his way out of the wires. It was no use to fight it, they were already drawing him in closer to the void.

 

“Don't do this!” He yelped. “You don't have all of your memory back yet! I swear you'll be able to remember me once you do! You know I'm only trying to help you!”

 

The crimson orb did not reply but all of the rest of the floating microchips began to glow with that vicious red light and moved back into their respective slots. Now the dome was eerily dark without all the tiny little lights keeping it lit.

 

“I STILL DON'T REMEMBER YOU!” He yelled, the hard drive shaking with his rage. “I knew it! I knew you were a fake! I still can't believe I was stupid enough to...”

 

“It doesn't matter if I'm fake, alright?” Courage interrupted him. He had to think fast if he didn't want to be deleted. “I'm still trying to help you! I haven't done anything to harm you and I have no intention of doing that.” He still couldn't believe this. How could Computer not remember him?

 

“Stringing me along for some grand betrayal, I bet! He loves melodramatic theatrics like this! He wants me to trust you so I'll have an even bigger fall! I won't be tricked again!”

 

He couldn't tell him that this was a dream. If he did it would only make him even more suspicious and paranoid. He'd be even less likely to trust him if he did but what else could he say to stop him? He was dead no matter what he tried...

 

“I'm just trying to help you.” He repeated. “I'm not with him, I promise. Even if I'm a hallucination, is that really so bad?”

 

The orb seemed to diminish again. “Yes! Yes it is! I would have to admit that I've finally gone insane! I won't do that! I..I'm...” Despair seeped into his voice, replacing his blind rage.

 

“Can't you at least consider that maybe I am real and not with Him either?”

 

“Impossible!”

 

“I know it's got to be hard to believe but...”

 

The wires wobbled dangerously for a moment. He was hanging over the void now so even one slip would leave him deleted, or worse.

 

“Computer, just give me a chance.” He spoke, desperately trying to hide the fear in his own voice.

 

The wires wobbled again, this time flinging him to side and back onto solid ground. Computer diminished entirely, returning to that small glowing orb that Courage was so used to seeing by now.

 

“I can't do it...” He muttered weakly. “Even if I wanted to I still wouldn't be able to do it. Just dangling you over that void left me feeling angry with myself but I-I don't even know why. I thought you said I'd be able to remember you by now? I feel like I should but...”

 

“I don't know why you can't remember me either.” Courage replied, just as much at a loss.

 

“Well, something could still be wrong. I'll have to look over...”

 

Another vicious rumble teared through the dome, nearly knocking Courage off his feet. Computer seemed to shrink away as a second rumble shook the hard drive immediately after the first.

 

“It's time...” He muttered out softly.

 

“W-what?” Courage gasped. He was still struggling to stay on his feet as another rumble rolled through. Several wires reached out and kept him from falling.

 

Computer floated over to him. “You need to go. They'll be here soon! You've got to get out of here, Courage!” He halted for a moment. It was Courage, right?”

 

Courage smiled. “You've finally remembered?”

 

The wires began to pull at his arm, urging him to leave. The familiar hum of the programs were beginning to close in on the dome. He simply stared, unsure of what to say or do. This nightmare thing wasn't working out so well, was it?

 

“Go!” Computer reaffirmed. The tugs of the wires grew even more urgent.

 

Courage shook his head. “No way! I'm staying! I promised I'd stay here with you and I am!”

 

“Nonsense! You'll die if you stay!”

 

The sound of scraping metal filled the dome. The hole they had originally made to get in was now being ripped apart by the claws. They were tearing away at it so fast that the dome was practically gone already.

 

The wires were now pulling at Courage so desperately that he was certain his arms would be torn off. He grit his and dug his feet into the ground.

 

“Please, just go!” Computer said desperately.

 

“I'm not...going...anywhere!” Courage growled between grit teeth.

 

Computer sighed and the wires fell limp. “Alright, fine. If this is really what you want...”

 

**CRASH**

 

The remaining bits of the dome fell away and the programs swarmed in. They circled over them like a pack of sharks about to strike. The electronic humming filled the air and seemed to crush them under its ominous weight. Computer had diminished to all but a tiny ball. He had gone completely silent the moment they had broken through.

 

“We can still get away!” Courage spoke, desperate to make this dream work out for the better. He glanced around trying to find an escape route but the only way out was the opening the claws had already locked down long before.

 

“I can't run, they always find me....” The orb muttered in a weak monotone. It was obvious that he had given up already. “He always says it's easier if I don't struggle, it never is. Why did I ever let you convince me to restore my memories?”

 

Courage glanced around. “Do you think you could break one of those walls like you did la...” He was cut off before he could finish.

 

“I can't go through with this again! Why did I have to remember? Why couldn't you have just left me not knowing what was coming!” His tone grew panicked once again. “I don't want to die! Not again! I can't! I can't!”

 

Courage grabbed the tiny orb and made a run for the closest wall. The claws made almost no effort in keeping up. There had to be a way to turn this nightmare into a dream and he was going to find it no matter what.

 

“It's no use! Stop running! He'll only make it worse for me in the end!” Computer yelled. The orb struggled to remove itself from Courage's grip.

 

“I'm going to find a way to get us out of this, I promise!” Courage spoke.

 

“You can't! There is no way out!”

 

Courage pressed his paw up against the wall. “Try to remove this!”

 

“It's too late...”

 

“Don't give up now! Remove this wall and we can get away!”

 

“I can't get away...I've tried so many times before.”

 

“Computer!” Courage shrieked, his frustration coming to a boil.

 

The orb remained silent but the wall shook and crumbled.

 

“Alright! Let's...” Courage's voice halted mid sentence. His heart sank.

 

Another program was waiting for them on the other side...

 

“No! No, no, no!” He gasped, shaking his head. How could he possibly fix this?

 

The program raised all of it's claws. The ones behind them were raising theirs as well. Courage could feel the tiny orb in his paws trembling. What could he do now? What could he possibly do up against these monsters? Even if this were Muriel he'd never be able to...to...

 

He clenched the orb tighter. This was it. This was the only thing he could do for his friend. He'd stay with him until the end. There was no means of turning this nightmare into a proper dream.

 

There was a 'click' sound as all the claws prepared themselves. Courage squeezed his eyes shut and prepared himself for the worst. Would he really die in a dream like this? Would it hurt? Would he just wake up or would he...

 

**CHINK**

 

He bit his lip. The humming sound rose to an unbearable dirge. He opened his eyes to find the claws closing in on them. There was a loud whooshing sound and then nothing....

 

End Of Chapter

 


	64. Corridor Of Doors

Chapter 64: Corridor Of Doors

 

“Wake up! Come on now, wake up!”

 

Courage groaned. Someone was shaking him, hard. He opened his eyes and was greeted by Computer's scowling face, well, Computer's scowling dog face that is, not the glowing orb he had grown accustom to in the dream hard drive.

 

“Did we wake up?” He asked. “We were under attack and then I...” He stopped and sat up. They were definitely not back in Nina's bedroom. They were in some white hallway that seemed to stretch on forever in both directions. Doors upon doors lined both sides of the wall, they too seemed to stretch on forever.

 

“Where...” He began.

 

“What do you mean we were under attack? All I remember is that we put those stupid ring things on and then I woke up here. I've been looking for you ever since.” Computer spoke, crossing his arms.

 

“It's a long story. I'll tell you it once we find a way out of here.”

 

The glowing dog glanced up and down the hallway. “I'm not even sure where 'here' is. I've looked into some of these doors and they're all pretty weird. If this hallway is supposed to be the inside of my mind then it's awfully drab. I was expecting something a little more interesting than a bunch of doors.”

 

“So you don't even remember anything that just happened?” Courage asked. To think, all that effort he put into helping 'dream' Computer had all been for nothing. He stifled a sigh, real or not his entire body still ached from the events that he had just endured.

 

Computer blinked. “I told you already. I woke up here and I've been looking for you ever since. Just what the heck are you talking about anyway?”

 

He shook his head. “I'm not really sure what happened. I was in one of your memories, I think. I was in your hard drive, like that time you had a virus, and I was trying to help you out in there.”

 

Computer gave him a confused look. “You were? Well, what sort of stuff did I say? What was going on? Did the me from that memory know we were in some kind of dream world?”

 

Courage shook his head. “No, you didn't remember anything. I think it was all just apart of the memory.” He looked over at one of the doors. “You don't think that maybe these doors lead into your memories, do you?”

 

“I doubt it. I've looked into a few and unless I have some seriously strange memories that I don't know about then they can't be.”

 

“I don't know. You are missing a ton of memories after all.”

 

“Trust me, I'm pretty sure what I saw couldn't be a memory.” He shook his head. “Now, let's find the way out of here. I'm tired of wandering around this place.”

 

Courage gave him a startled look. “We're here to fix your nightmare problem! There was no point in coming here if we aren't going to fix it!”

 

Computer crossed his arms angrily. “Look around you! Do you even know where we are? I doubt you know where the 'don't have nightmares button' is! I've seen some strange things while I was wandering around looking for you and I just want to go home, wake up, or do whatever the heck needs to be done so things can go back to normal! This was a stupid idea in the first pla....” He stopped mid sentence. Courage had given him a shrug and gone over to one of the doors.

 

“W-where do you think you're going?” The machine stuttered out, taken aback by Courage's defiance. “Y-you can't just blow me off like that! I _was_ talking you know!”

 

“We're not going to get anything done if we just sit here and argue! You can go look for a way to wake up but I'm going to go find a way to stop your nightmares!”

 

Computer slapped his forehead. “I know I'm going to regret this! Fine! We'll both look for a way out and a way to fix this 'little issue' together!”

 

Courage ignored him and opened the door. They were greeted by a drab, featureless, black and white room. There were no windows to be found and no doors, except for the one they were currently standing in.

 

“A black and white room? Seriously?” Computer asked. “Couldn't my mind come up with something a little more interesting?”

 

“Guess that just means you're boring.” Courage replied with a snicker.

 

“Boring? I am a gentleman of refined culture and tastes! You're the one who runs around acting like well...a _dog_ all day! Boring? Honestly!”

 

“Uh huh.” Courage replied, rolling his eyes.

 

“Besides, why black and white? This isn't The Twili....” He took a step forward, only to be stopped mid sentence as he went flying upwards.

 

“C-Computer?” Courage cried out, going in after him. The moment his feet left the door frame it felt like the gravity holding him down had vanished. He screamed as he went 'falling' upwards. He hit the ceiling, and Computer, with a dull thunk.

 

“G-get off!” Computer groaned, pushing him away.

 

He gave a startled exclamation the moment the machine pushed him off. He expected to fall downward again but he did not. They were both clinging to the ceiling like it was the floor and maybe it was.

 

Computer gripped his head. “Ugh, I don't suppose it's possible to have a head concussion inside your own head?” He asked.

 

Courage got to his feet and fought off the disorientation caused by standing 'up' upside down. “Why do you have an anti-gravity room inside of your head?” He asked.

 

“Your guess is as good as mine...” He grumbled. He was still rubbing the back of his head. “Bah! I think I'm going to have to start a counter after how many times I've landed on my head by now!”

 

“How are we going to get back to the door?” Courage asked, looking up...er...down...

 

“How should I know! This is your fault so why don't you figure it out for a change! I just wanted to get out of here but nooo we had to go look for a way to fix this stupid nightmare issue!”

 

Courage took several clumsy steps forward and stopped. He made a jump for the door but he could only make it as high as he normally would if he were jumping on a normal floor. So long as they were stuck on the ceiling there was no way of getting out.

 

“Got any ideas?” He asked his glowing friend.

 

The dog was still glaring at him with his arms crossed. “Maybe all I've got to do is tell my head to let us down!” He snapped, partly being sarcastic.

 

Courage sighed. “Stop being stubborn and actually help!”

 

Computer rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, but do I seriously look like....”

 

**CHINK**

 

They both glanced around for the sound.

 

“What was that?” Computer asked, unamused.

 

“There!” Courage cried, pointing over to the other side of the room. A thin slit had opened up in the ceiling/floor/whatever they were standing on and...something was coming out?

 

**BUUUZZZZZZ**

 

Courage let out a scream. The thing that had come out of the thin slit was a massive spinning saw and it was coming right for him.

 

“A saw?” Computer cried out, leaping onto his feet. “You've got to be kidding me!”

 

“RUUUNNN!” Courage screamed, jumping out of the way just as the giant saw nearly grazed his tail.

 

The massive spinning monster imbedded itself into the wall on the other side. Sparks flew everywhere. The sound it made as it cut ever deeper into the wall was like nails on a chalk board. The two dogs watched as the wall collapsed and the saw disappeared into the darkness beyond. They both slowly turned until they were looking at each other.

 

“Why do you have a saw inside your head?” Courage asked.

 

Computer's shocked expression turned into one of annoyance. “Obviously I keep one around for emergencies!” He replied, rolling his eyes.

 

Courage drew in closer to the hole the saw had made. He expected the thing to come whirling back our from the darkness but instead he found a flight of stairs leading down into the darkness below. He carefully placed a foot onto it assuming that it would fall apart the moment anyone touched it but it remained stable. He allowed himself to put his full weight onto it and it still held. He supposed if it was going to fall it would wait until they were halfway down it like any dream probably would.

 

Computer joined him near the hole. He was reluctant to step onto the stairs. “Don't you think this is a bad idea?” He asked.

 

“We aren't going to find a way out by standing around.” Courage replied, taking several steps downward.

 

Computer did not budge. “A staircase leading down into a pitch black void? This is just asking for trouble!”

 

“You don't see anyway else out of that room, do you?”

 

He let out an exasperated sigh. “I don't know why I ever let you talk me into this...”

 

“Stop complaining and follow me!” Courage replied impatiently. He was already at least halfway down the staircase and Computer still wasn't moving.

 

“Alright, fine! But I swear if something goes wrong I'm never listening to you again!”

 

The glowing dog quickly caught up with him. He leaned over the railing to get a better look at whatever might be below. It was so dark now that he was the only thing keeping the staircase lit up.

 

“See anything?” Courage asked.

 

“Just darkness...” He answered in a mystified tone. “But...” He hesitated.

 

“What?” Courage asked when he did not continue.

 

He just shook his head. “W-we really shouldn't be doing this, you know.”

 

Courage gave him an apprehensive glare. “You were going to say something. What was it?”

 

The machine was looking particularly nervous which was not exactly a good sign, especially when this place was his own head. Courage placed his paws on his hips and waited for an answer.

 

“It's nothing. I just...eh...thought I heard something.”

 

“Like what?” Courage continued to question.

 

He rubbed the back of his head. “Well, it was like...”

 

_**HUUUUMMMM** _

 

Courage instinctively flinched at the sound. It was the unmistakeable hum of a program. For a moment he was certain Computer was going to faint by the look he gave.

 

“I should not have let you talk me into this...” He muttered weakly.

 

They both glanced around trying to find where the sound was coming from but it was just too dark to see. Computer gripped desperately at the railing, acting like it was the only thing keeping him from being swept away.

 

“We should get out of here.” Courage said. There was no way they could get to the bottom of this staircase with something like the programs running around and he did not want to tangle with those things again. Computer remained unusually silent but he didn't have to second guess why.

 

“Lets...” He began. “Computer?” He asked, turning around. His jaw hit the floor.

 

Two massive claws were reaching out from under the stairs. The program must have been there the whole time. They were both slowly reaching down for Computer, who wasn't moving an inch.

 

“Get out of there!” Courage yelled.

 

The machine seemed to snap out of his trance. “R-right...I, uh...”

 

“Run! We've gotta get out of here!”

 

Computer began to climb the staircase as fast as he could. The program removed itself from under the stairs and went right after him. It appeared to only be targeting him, much to Courage's dismay. He took off after the two of them and quickly made his way up the stairs.

 

_**HUMMMMM** _

 

Computer made his way back into the black and white room. The program easily made a hole big enough for itself to fit through by simply crashing through the wall. Courage picked up the pace and finally made it to the top himself.

 

Computer was now standing on the opposite side of the room, the program quickly closing in. It was clearly being slow and deliberate for the sake of being as antagonistic as possible. The glowing dog was already pinned up against the wall. His expression was justifiably horror-struck.

 

“A little help would be nice!” He called out.

 

“This is your head! You should be able to stop that thing!” Courage replied.

 

“What? You expect me to just snap my fingers and make the gravity in this room return to nor...”

 

Courage felt his feet lift off the ground. Both he and Computer hit the ceiling...floor....whatever...like the gravity in the room had always been like that. He groaned as he landed on his head for a second time. Why did falling right side up have to hurt so much?

 

“Yep, I think I'm going to have to keep a counter.” Computer groaned, sitting up. “Guess I could just snap my fingers...”

 

The program seemed to have been thrown off by their sudden disappearance. It was still floating there, completely unaffected by the gravity reversal. It made several sharp turns trying to find them before looking down/up and spotting them again.

 

“I think it's time to run again...” Computer spoke, taken several steps back.

 

Courage nodded in agreement and they both made a beeline for the door. The program swooped in on them and readied it's claws. Computer seemed to slow at the sight of it.

 

“Don't stop! We've gotta get out of here!” Courage yelled.

 

“Maybe we can't get away...” Computer replied. He was looking even more downtrodden. “If you really did see my memories then you know how futile this is. We can't run away.”

 

“It's the inside of your head! You can do whatever you want in here! You can stop that thing! This is just a dream after all!”

 

The machine closed his eyes. “I'm not so sure. I _want_ that thing to go away but it clearly isn't.”

 

It was starting to becoming apparent just what was wrong with this situation. No matter how fast they ran the door was not getting any closer...

 

“I bet the only reason we're failing is because you're convinced we're going to fail! I saw the way you were in that memory! You think we can't beat that program so you're not even trying!”

 

“Do we really need to go into a therapy season right now? I was _never_ able to beat those things! Not with all of my abilities, not when they were just virus-like programs rooted to my system. They always beat me out in the end. It was pointless to fight, to run, to do anything except face your end with some tiny shred of dignity.”

 

“That doesn't matter!” Courage argued. “This isn't real life! They may not have been beatable in the real world but here you might actually have a shot at it. At least consider it so maybe the door will come back.”

 

“If I couldn't beat them in real life what makes you think my mind won't reflect that?”

 

“Because it already is! We aren't going to win if you're convinced we're going to fail! You just changed the way gravity works so maybe you can do something else as well!”

 

They were still running as fast as they could and they both were starting to tire out. The door was never getting any closer and the program was never gaining any ground. This limbo wasn't going to end until Computer decided what would happen.

 

“Maybe we should just give up. This is just a dream, right? We can't actually die in a dream, or at least that's what I've always heard from you flesh creatures.”

 

“There's no way to know what will happen to us in here and I don't want to find out! We aren't given up! We came here to fix these nightmares and that's what we're going to do!”

 

The machine groaned. “Ugh, I think I liked you better when you were a coward!”

 

“Hurry up and figure something out! It feels like my legs are about to fall off!”

 

“Alright, alright! Fine! I'll 'try' to make that door come closer but I wasn't exactly trying to fix gravity before either!”

 

Courage stared at the door, waiting for it to get closer, but it never did. He looked back over at Computer but the machine looked just as stumped as he did.

 

“Looks like my magical mind ability doesn’t extend to doors.”

 

“Great! What else can we do?” Courage asked. “Are you sure you did it right?”

 

“I'm not even sure what I'm doing, you twit!”

 

_**VAROOOOM** _

 

The program was finally gaining up on them again.

 

“Oh no...” Computer whispered. “It's almost here...” He seemed to shrink at the thought of it.

 

“You see! You're letting this happen! You've got to convince yourself that we can't get away!”

 

His eyes slowly fell back onto Courage. “I can't get away. I never have and I never will. It doesn't matter if it's in my head or not. We shouldn't have run in the first place. It...it just makes things worse in the end.”

 

“Come on, Compute. You're letting this turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

 

He gave him a soft smile. “In some ways, I guess it already is. I'm not going to run anymore. If I have to face this nightmare, I don't want to do it like a coward.”

 

Courage's heart dropped as Computer slowed to a stop.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	65. Journey To The Center Of The Mind

Chapter 65: Journey To The Center Of The Mind

 

“Don't just stand there! Run!” Courage yelped. That program would tear Computer to pieces! If he couldn't get that door to come back then what chance did he have of stopping those claws?

 

The program slowed to a halt. The endless hum it produced seemed to grow in volume. It raised it's claws and waited to strike. It must have been savoring the dread coming from both the dogs because it didn't move for several seconds. Then...the vicious, gleaming, claws came barreling forward. Courage jumped, not even thinking about what he was doing, and knocked Computer out of the way just as the claws imbedded themselves into the floor where they had been standing.

 

“What did you do that for?” The machine spat. He pushed Courage off of him and stood back up. “If I have to face up to my fears then I'm not going to do it like a coward! I faced that Fear Eater and beat it, I can do the same here!”

 

“You aren't going to be doing anything if you're cleaved in half! We could die in this place, you know!” Courage yelled. He slowly rose back up onto his feet as well. The program was currently trying to pull it's claws back out of the wooden floor but they would not budge.

 

Computer's eyes narrowed. “If I'm going to continue with this whole 'moving on' thing or whatever, I have to overcome this fear as well!” He crossed his arms. “I thought you wanted to fix this nightmare business? I don't care either way, but I'm not going to keep running around like a coward!”

 

Courage slapped his forehead in frustration. “The only reason you're not running is because you're convinced that we can't get away! Giving up is just as cowardly as running away! This is all just a bunch of stupid reverse psychology anyway!”

 

“What do you know about reverse psychology? I'm the one who's a licensed therapist!” He shot back, tapping a foot in the process.

 

“You're the one who certified me to be a therapist too! I've still got that diploma laying around somewhere, you know!”

 

“That was all just a bunch of nonsense! You couldn't cure a mote of dust of it's depression even if you tried!”

 

Courage glared at him. “Psychology isn't even that hard anyway! It's just a bunch of 'this sentence is false' stuff!”

 

“Ugh! That's to stop robot invasions, not psychology, you idiot! And are you _trying_ make my processor explode? Don't pull any logical paradoxes on me!”

 

Courage rolled his eyes. “It may as well all be the same! You've got issues and you aren't going to sort them out by getting killed!”

 

“I don't have issues!” He yelled.

 

“Yeah, that's because you're knee deep in denial!”

 

“I am not in denial either!”

 

“Then why do you keep acting like nothing's wrong? All I've ever done is try to help you and you fight me every step of the way!”

 

“Oh, for the love of-” The machine growled, running a paw down his face in annoyance. “If it were up to me I wouldn't have told you anything in the first place! It would have saved me a lot of trouble!”

 

“You never needed to tell me anything! You could have kept saying no but you're the one who decided to talk! You _wanted_ to tell me! It was obvious! And you can't tell me things aren't better now because of it!”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I'm currently stuck inside of my own head right now. _Obviously_ things have taken a turn for the better.”

 

Courage grit his teeth and let out a growl. “You're hopeless! Fine! Deal with this yourself because I'm leaving!”

 

And with that he turned around on his heels and stomped over to the door, which was no longer keeping itself away from him for whatever reason. Whether it was because of his rage, or something else entirely, he didn't care. He didn't even bother to look back as he wrenched the door open and stomped back into the hallway. He was fuming so badly that he didn't even care if he was leaving his friend behind with that program or not.

 

“Y-you can't just leave me in here with this thing!” Computer cried out. He was trying to come off as though he were offended, but it ended up sounding a lot more like a plea.

 

“I hope that thing _does_ tear you to pieces!” Courage snarled. He had said it before he even realized what he was saying. It did not deter him however as he continued on his angry tirade. “Maybe then you'll stop being so stubborn!” He snapped.

 

He glanced back over at Computer. The glowing dog stood there, seemingly disheartened by his words. He opened his mouth to speak...but then the door slammed closed causing Courage to jump with surprise. He reached up and tried to turn the handle, but the door would not budge.

 

“Computer?” He called out. He knocked on the door but there was no other sound. He pulled and pushed at the door for several minutes longer, but it was stuck tight.

 

Computer made no effort to let it be known if he were okay or not. It was perfectly possible that he wasn't, and, given the nature of this place, there could very well be a brick wall behind that door now.

 

...Or maybe the program _had_ tore him to pieces...

 

Courage sighed, and, not knowing what else to do, decided to head down the hallway. He couldn't get back to Computer through that door no matter how hard he tried so maybe it was better to go look for another way in. He squinted to get a better look down the hall but it really did seem to go on forever. He glanced over at another door and wondered if he should try and go through it. After the anti-gravity room, he wasn't so keen on it. The last thing he needed right now was a room that split you in half or turned you inside out instead of upside down...

 

He let out a groan in frustration. Why couldn't Computer be easier to work with? Why did he always have to drum up a fight over nothing? Courage grit his teeth and tried to calm down. Why was he getting so angry? Was it because of some subconscious dread that he might end up wandering around this place forever? That he had just spent what felt like hours running around inside a hard drive only to have it all add up to nothing?

 

He pressed his back up against the pure white wall and slid down it. All he really wanted to do was help Computer, so why did it always have to turn into a battle? He shut his eyes and savored the calm for a moment, not knowing how much longer it would last. First a memory, now an endless hallway. What else could possibly happen?

 

He got his answer...

 

His eyes shot open again when he heard the sound of a door being opened. He glanced up and down the endless hallway before finally spotting the offending door. He stood up to go over to it...when Computer's head popped out and glanced around at the endless, whitewashed hallway. There was a certain wariness to his movements that surprised Courage. Where had he been?

 

“Hey!” He called out, racing over to the glowing dog. “How did you get out of that room?” He asked, putting a smile on his face.

 

The machine blinked. “Room? What room? I've just spent ages looking for you! Where the heck have you been? Bah! I knew that this ring nonsense was a bad idea!”

 

Courage's mouth dropped open. “Great, just great! _Another_ new you?” He asked.

 

“Another new me? What the heck are you talking about? I've been looking for you ever since I woke up in this-”

 

“Yes, yes! I know!” He snapped. “You've been looking for me ever since you woke up in this place and you really don't like it here! You told me the last time!”

 

“Alright, seriously! What's with all the hostility? And what's with all this talk about another me?”

 

Courage gave him a long, painful sigh. He was getting really tired of dealing with this...

 

“First I woke up in this strange memory of yours and I helped you out in there, then I woke up here and was running around with another you up until about five seconds ago, now a new version of you just popped up out of nowhere.”

 

“Alright, so you've been in contact with several other versions of me then? That doesn't seem unlikely if this really is a representation of my own mind.” He placed a paw to his chin. “Perhaps they are various representations of my psyche. That would make sense, would it not?”

 

“I don't know and I don't care!” Courage growled. He couldn't help but let his frustration boil over.

 

Computer dismissively waved a paw at him. “You don't have to bite my head off.”

 

“Are you serious?” He cried out. “You're the one who's always biting my head off at every opportunity! Don't tell me about biting anyone's head off because you don't have any right to talk!”

 

“There's no reason to get-”

 

“I don't care! Let's just find a way out of this crazy place! You're not worth getting lost in here forever!”

 

Computer shrunk back, his ears drooping. “But...aren't we here to stop that whole nightmare business? Why'd we come if-”

 

“You wanted to leave so bad, so we're leaving!” He snapped.

 

“When did I say I wanted to leave?”

 

“For all I know you're going to vanish again in a few minutes anyway! I'm not going to bother re-explaining everything to you every time you pop up!”

 

Computer took a step back. “Look, if you really want, I'll go off and look through these doors on my own. If you want us to go our separate ways then just say so, but don't-”

 

Courage exhaled to try and force himself to calm down. “Don't bother, you'll just vanish even faster if you do that.”

 

The machine scratched his head. “I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure I'm the real me.”

 

“And I'm sure the last you I just ran into would have said the exact same thing...”

 

“Hmph! I'm more inclined to believe that you aren't the real Courage! The last time I checked, you weren't always so...confrontational.”

 

Courage gave him a surprised look. “There's no way that I'm not the real me! I have all my memories and-” He shook his head. If Computer could be convinced that he was the real him no matter what, then what was stopping him from believing that he was the real Courage too, even if he wasn't?

 

“Well, look.” Computer sighed. “I don't know about you, but I think I'd rather go find a different Courage. One who doesn't looks like he's about to rip my face off.”

 

“Stop talking like I'm not the real me!”

 

“Then why don't you stop talking like I'm not the real me either?”

 

“For all we know we _both_ could be fakes! Let's just stop dwelling on it and find a way out of here!”

 

Computer crossed his arms. “I'm only going to go with you if you promise to stop being such a grump!”

 

“Too bad you never do that when you're the one who's being a complete jerk!”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Ugh! If you've got a problem with me then lets deal with it _after_ we're not stuck in some dream world!”

 

“Fine!” Courage growled, turning around.

 

“You've got to be kidding me.” He groaned. “Seriously, dog. This isn't like you.”

 

“I guess that's just what happens when some of _you_ starts to rub off on me!” He snapped.

 

Computer's eyes narrowed. “Fine! If you're going to keep acting like this then I'm not going to go with you! I won't be pushed around like I'm-”

 

“You ARE coming with me!” Courage snapped, stomping forward. He almost could believe it. He was literally seeing red....

 

...What on earth was he doing?

 

“That's funny because I seem to recall just saying that I wasn't going anywhere with a grump like you!”

 

“Don't make me force you!” He growled out between grit teeth. Fear welled up inside of him. He didn't want this and yet his body was working against him. He was becoming very much aware of the fact that he no longer had any control over what he was doing. He could only watch through eyes that no longer belonged to him as his rage overtook everything. He tried to scream, but his mouth wouldn't obey. He couldn't even utter a squeak.

 

“Knock it off, Courage! You aren't being yourself!” Computer yelled. He looked surprisingly concerned despite their fighting. Courage tried to yell out 'help!' to him, but his mouth wouldn't form the words he wanted to speak.

 

“Shut up!” He heard himself scream. “You're such a wimp! So you were _supposedly_ 'tortured' a bit! Get over it! Anyone who wasn't completely pathetic would have gotten over it by now! I don't even know why I bothered helping you! You can't be fixed! Any 'sane' individual would have fixed this themselves by now! You just can't get over something so trivial, can you?”

 

His voice sounded harsh and so unlike himself. He wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. Terror ran through him like a knife. He couldn't stop himself! He couldn't get back in control! He screamed for help but his voice fought back with its own harsh words aimed at Computer.

 

The machine's expression did not change. He looked worried and he seemed to be ignoring all the vicious things Courage was saying to him. He raised a paw and let it fall onto Courage's shoulder.

 

“What's wrong with you?” He asked. He gave Courage a searching glance. He knew that something was horribly wrong and it brought relief to the Courage struggling deep within his own alien body.

 

The Not-Courage grabbed his paw and wrenched it away. “Don't you DARE touch me!” He snarled.

 

“Oh don't worry, I'm daring.” Computer shot back. He seemed to be considering what to do next.

 

“I practically snapped your arm off last time you were here! Don't make me to it again!” He spat. He gripped Computer's paw even harder and made it very clear that he was willing to go through with it.

 

Computer remained perfectly calm. “Um...yeah. Just want to say this ahead of time, but...sorry.”

 

Courage didn't even get a chance to figure out what he meant before his friend balled up a fist and struck him across the muzzle so hard that he was sent crashing to the ground. The glowing dog shook his paw afterwords, not looking particularly happy with the results.

 

“So much for breaking my arm!” He yelped. “I think I might have just dislocated it all by myself!” He continued to wave his paw in pain.

 

Courage brought his own paw up against his muzzle. He did it of his own free will this time. Whatever that punch had done, it was enough to dispel the pure anger that was controlling his actions. Tears immediately began to pour down his cheeks. He attempted to stand up but only managed to collapse all over again. Between sheer terror and guilt, he managed to push himself up against the wall and wrap himself up into a ball. All he could manage were several long, choking sobs. He couldn't stop himself from shaking. It had been horrible, terrifying, even violating, and he wasn't sure what had brought the loss of control on in the first place.

 

“Courage?” He heard Computer ask.

 

“S-sorry...” He choked out.

 

Computer sat down beside him and placed a paw onto his shoulder once again. “I figured something was up.”

 

Courage managed to sit himself upright again. He sniffed several times before he could finally explain what happened. “I-I just kept getting more and more angry. I couldn't stop myself! And then I started to realize that I wasn't in control anymore! I couldn't talk, I couldn't speak, I couldn't even move! I wanted to stop, but I couldn't! I-it was...it was t-terrifying!” He couldn't help but whimper and wrap his arms up around himself again.

 

“I hate to say it but I think I may have caused this.” Computer replied. He seemed rather embarrassed actually. “You started to act just like you did in my dream, back when we-”

 

The arm breaking thing. Now he remembered.

 

“I was so concerned about figuring out what was wrong with you that I didn't even realize what was going on until the very last second. Apparently that nightmarish version of yourself managed to project itself onto you and take control.”

 

Courage shivered. “I just h-hope it'll never come back.”

 

Computer smiled. “All I'd have to do is break my wrist again to get rid of it. You're in good, ah, fists?”

 

Courage rolled his eyes, but he was grateful that Computer was keeping things light-hearted. He was struggling to keep it together after the body hijacking and he was thankful for the distraction.

 

“I remembered what you said about the whole punching thing. I didn't really want to do it, but for some reason, something told me to do it. It was like, I don't know, like a voice was literally telling me that punching you would fix the problem. Maybe anyone who comes here to this Dreamworld has a closer connection to their subconscious?” He place a finger to his chin. “You know, I may not have wanted to come here but the implications of this place are certainly fascinating. I guess you'll have something interesting to write about in your memoir once we get out of here.”

 

Courage managed a weak laugh. “Wow, I never thought I'd actually see you enthusiastic about my memoirs.”

 

He shook his head. “Oh, don't worry, I'm not. I just figured that maybe I'd help you write this one, just so that it doesn't look like it was made by a complete amateur.”

 

“That's an awful lot of enthusiasm coming from someone who hates me so much.”

 

Computer's smile faded. “H-hate? Hate is such an, ehm... _strong_ word.”

 

“What are you implying?” He asked with a grin.

 

“Well, I'm just saying.” He dismissed him.

 

“Oh? And what happened to you reminding me almost every moment of everyday just how much you hate me?”

 

Computer pressed two of his fingers together. “I-I never did anything like that...”

 

“Now I know that it really _can't_ be you. Giving me a daily verbal beat down is practically your career!”

 

“I am the real me! I'm just saying that I-”

 

“What? Don't hate me?” He laughed. “If there was ever a sign that you're a fake....”

 

“I'm not a fake!”

 

“ _Not_ hating on me is probably the best way to blow your cover as an imposter!”

 

“Imposter? Are you crazy? I am not an imposter!” He crossed his arms. “Last time I ever try to be nice to you!”

 

“At least you're just as easily outraged as your real self! I was just kidding you know.”

 

“You're one to talk!” He snapped. “You're just as likely to be a fake too you know!”

 

“Don't remind me.” He sighed.

 

“And besides, if you must know, I'm, er, quite fond of you actually.” Upon saying that he looked horrified and then, in an effort to save himself, he stuck his nose up into the air as snootily as possible and let out a, 'Hmph!'

 

Courage was honestly surprised that he'd say something like that. He tried to utter out a 'thank you', but the machine stopped him.

 

“You know, I can't believe you actually thought that I was going to let you die back there. Especially just so I could have a new friend. I admit, I was seriously considering it for a little while, but I don't think I could have gone through with it. I mean, things just wouldn't be the same without a twit constantly nagging me for help. It would be like, I don't know, like a part of my programming were missing, and that's saying a lot given how much of it is already gone.”

 

“Awww, you really do care!” Courage laughed.

 

“Don't push your luck, kid.” He grumbled.

 

“But how could you NOT expect me to freak out when you vanished for half a day and then came back claiming that you found a new home?”

 

“I hardly sounded genuine!”

 

“Yes, you did!”

 

“So what if I did? You're the one who fell for it! Do you know how hard it is for me to put my trust into anyone anymore? I had to be sure.”

 

“Sure? Sure of what? I'm the one who put up with all your late night 'I don't trust you' insomnia issues you had back in that hotel room!”

 

“Hmmm, I guess I never apologize for that, did I?” He asked. “I was tired and just a 'tiny' bit on edge. Can you blame me?”

 

“Yes! I do blame you for keeping me up all night! I wish that pan _had_ knocked you out! I wouldn't have had to spend all morning worrying about where you'd run off to!”

 

Computer became sullen. “Oh, yeah, really! Cracking my head open was just so _hilarious_! You wonder why I don't have any inclination to trust you.”

 

Courage leaned over until his head was resting on his shoulder. “Sorry about that.” He murmured. He was growing very tired now that the initial shock of having his body hijacking had worn off. “I guess you could say that I was tired and a bit on edge too. You _were_ keeping me up after all.”

 

“You were the one who was so insistent on staying up with me.”

 

“Friends gotta look out for friends.” He murmured just barely above a whisper. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. The exhaustion he had experienced in the hard drive was catching up with him again.

 

“Are you going to be alright?” Computer asked.

 

“Y-yeah.” He yawned. “Just...tired....”

 

“Are you sure? I don't see how it's possible to fall asleep when you're already technically asleep.”

 

“Mmmm, yeah.” He sighed out, barely aware of what was going on anymore.

 

His mind had just gone off to sleep when a sharp convulsion inside his chest caused him to snap awake again. It wasn't an attack, it was something different. He found himself gagging as something seemed to claw it's way out of his chest and up into his throat.

 

“Courage?” Computer asked. He jumped back up onto his feet but there was nothing that he could do.

 

Courage gagged again and gripped at his throat. It was like a giant centipede was trying to crawl out of his throat. He gave Computer a pleading glance but another spasm left him gagging violently once more. He shifted onto his knees and continued to choke. He stared down at the perfect white floor as whatever was in his throat continued to make its escape. With one last heaving gasp, a thick black tar like substance left his mouth and splattered out onto the floor. It didn't end there unfortunately, he continued to spew the stuff out between desperate gasps for breath. It started to come out of his nose, his eyes, even his ears. It was like some horrible buildup of pure evil was now spilling out of him from every exit it could find.

 

He continued to wrench for several minutes longer before finally the black gunk ceased to appear. The stuff on the floor hissed and sizzled like an egg being fried. It appeared that the tar couldn't stand to be in contact with the shiny, white floor. It began to evaporate until only a smidgeon of it was left.

 

Computer took a step forward and placed his paw onto Courage's shoulder once again. “Just what the heck was that?” He asked. He couldn't hide the shock in his voice.

 

“D-donno...” He managed to choke out before another coughing fit overtook him. Everything inside of him burned and that wasn't even adding the horrible taste in his mouth.

 

The last bit of gunk refused to dissolve. It drew in closer to the two dogs and they both took a step back. It hissed with every slimy movement it took. The floor continued to repel it but it just couldn't purify the last bit. It halted as though it were making a decision, and then it suddenly shot off in the other direction.

 

“Follow it!” Computer cried out and they both took off after it.

 

The pile of sludge made its way over to a certain door. Whatever was special about it, no one could say. It slid under the crack and vanished before either dog could catch up with it. Courage grabbed the door handle, but it would not budge. This couldn't be the same door from before, could it? It was impossible to tell when everything in this endless hallway looked exactly the same, but something about it made him think that it was. Needless to say, the utter exhaustion that had crippled him a few minutes ago was suddenly gone. Had that thing been controlling him? Not only had it made him angry enough to completely lose it, but it had also exhausted him afterwords too. Was it trying to stop him? What could it be?

 

Computer placed a paw on the door. “I can't say why, but this door gives me a very bad feeling. It makes me want to turn tail and run away.”

 

Courage blinked. “If this is the door from before, I was here with your other self. He didn't like this room much either, especially that staircase.”

 

“Staircase?” He asked.

 

“The room inside causes you to turn upside down and there's a hole that leads to this staircase. It was very dark and we didn't get a chance to go to the bottom. We were attacked and then I, er, left you behind.” His ears drooped at those words. He felt bad about it, especially after what he had said.

 

“Let me guess, you were angry?”

 

“Y-yeah...” He muttered.

 

“Well, that doesn't matter now. Let's look for a way to get this open. Everything inside of me is telling me to run away in the opposite direction, but we aren't going to figure out what's going on if we don't try to get inside.”

 

“That's the other problem. The thing that attacked us is still inside there, it looked like one of those program things.”

 

“Programs? How do you know what a program looks like? I thought I was the only one who-”

 

“I saw it in your memory.”

 

“My memory? You did say something about a memory before. Hmm, you really need to fill me in on everything that's happened.”

 

“It would take too long. I'll tell you everything after we get out of this dream world.” He grabbed the doorknob again and tried to twist it open, but it would not budge. The thing was stuck tight and anything less than breaking the door down wouldn't get it open.

 

“Maybe I could use your thick skull as a battering ram.” Computer quipped.

 

“Only if you volunteer to go first.” Courage grumbled out in reply. He took a step back and scratched his head. “We need something to break the door open. Neither of us are big enough to ram it and unless we really do want to take turns bashing our heads into it, I don't think we're going to be able to open it.”

 

“Well, there's a billion doors to choose from, so let's pick one.”

 

“Yeah, there isn't much else in this hallway anyway.”

 

Computer glanced around at the doors. “I think we should pick this one.” He said, pointing over at a door on their left.

 

“Why that one?” Courage asked him.

 

“I've got a good feeling about it. This is my head after all! I probably know the way without even knowing it!”

 

He blinked. “Er, if you say so.”

 

They made their way over to the door. It looked perfectly normal to Courage and he hoped that he could trust Computer's judgment, but who knew what they'd find inside?

 

“Ready?” His glowing friend asked as he placed a paw on the doorknob.

 

“Ready as I'll ever be.” He sighed.

 

Computer twisted the doorknob open and they stepped inside. It was dark. Not pitch black, but a dull, listless dark. There were no light sources to be found inside, but it was just light enough to make out tall, uneven towers rising up into an abyss of blackness. Squinting, Courage realized that they were boxes piled on top of boxes. The room was so huge that he could not see the ceiling or any of the walls. Some of the towers seemed to climb forever and he began to wonder if maybe this room really didn't have a ceiling at all.

 

“Boxes, huh?” Computer asked. “Wonder what's inside of them.”

 

He picked up the nearest box that wasn't apart of one of the gigantic towers and turned it over. Several books fell out and turned up dust as they hit the ground. Courage picked one up and looked it over. There was no title or any words to be found anywhere on it. He opened it up and found that it was blank on the inside too.

 

“They're all blank.” Computer chimed in as he paged through a different one. “Hmm, not a single letter to be found.”

 

“Maybe these are memories.” Courage mused. “Or maybe they're blank because there are no memories for them yet.”

 

“I don't know, part of me doesn't seem to think that's the case. This place...feels like something else.” He drummed his fingers on a book, looking particularly thoughtful. He puzzled over it for a moment before he shook his head. “I'm not sure. This place doesn't feel like it belongs.”

 

A box behind them shook, startling them both. They both spun around but neither of them could find the offending box.

 

“Er, what was that?” Computer asked.

 

“Y-you don't think something's in here with us, do you?” Courage stuttered out. There was a crippling air of foreboding to the room and it was seriously starting to freak him out. It almost felt like the nightmares he had as a pup. Big, imposing, and of course, terrifying.

 

“Uh, maybe we should leave.” Computer replied, taking a step backwards.

 

Courage nodded in a agreement. “Y-yeah! Lets get out of here.”

 

They both turned to do just that when another box shook again. This time they caught sight of which one.

 

“You probably shouldn't go near that thing.” Computer whispered as Courage took a step closer.

 

“I'm just going to take a look.” He replied. For some reason, the box was almost compelling him to get closer. It reminded him of something from his puppyhood, but he couldn't remember what exactly. It frightened him more than anything but he _needed_ to know why.

 

“Courage, this isn't a good idea...” Computer cautioned.

 

The box had ceased to shake. He reached up to pull it down but then it shook one last time and toppled over...right on top of him.

 

_**I LOVE YOU!** _

 

He screamed out in terror at those words. Several clown dolls were now crawling all over him. They were all espousing the same dull, monotone 'I LOVE YOU' catchphrase. He flailed around in desperate attempt to get them off, but they all clung on tight.

 

_**I LOVE YOU!** _

 

One of the creepy clowns was making its way over to Computer. The machine picked up the box that had held those books and dropped it down on the clown. He stopped Courage, who was still running around and screaming like a little girl, and pried one of them off of him. He gave the thing a quizzical glance and then shrugged.

 

“I don't see what you're freaking out about. They're just dolls. What's the worse its going to do, bite your finger off?”

 

He wiggled a finger in front of it...and it did indeed do just that.

 

“SON OF A-” He cried out, flailing his paw around, trying to get the thing off. It was well and thoroughly latched onto his finger now...

 

_**I LOVE YOU!** _

 

Courage continued to wrestles with the little monsters as they swarmed all over him. They were biting his ears, pulling at his fur, and poking his eyes every time he tried to open them. The one that Computer had trapped was freed by one of his friends and joined it in on jumping onto the machine's back.

 

Courage ran head first into a wall. He didn't even care that he had, he immediately used the hard surface to begin bashing his back up against it until several of the dolls were too damaged to hold on anymore. Finally given an opening, he pulled one of the monsters off and stuffed it into the first box he could get his hand on. Another one jumped off him and kicked him in the knee as protest for 'jailing' his friend. He grabbed that one and stuffed it into a box too. They were already working together to try and escape but he pressed them down and hoped that it would be enough to hold them.

 

_**I LOVE YOU!** _

 

Seeing what was happening, the rest of the creepy clown dolls abandoned their attempts to menace Courage. They scattered into the darkness and he did not dare to go after them.

 

“A little help would be nice!” Computer called out. He was still wrestling with the one attached to his finger while the other one was biting down on his ear.

 

Courage raced over and pulled off the clown that was attached to his ear. It dug it's little fingers into his paws, but he did not let go. He tossed it into an empty book box and sat down on top of it to keep the little monster from escaping. Computer wedged the last doll between his foot and the floor and pulled until it finally had to let go of his finger. He picked up a book and tossed it at the little clown as it raced off into the darkness to join its brethren. He nursed his finger as Courage let the other doll out of the box to join its clownish friends. They were nowhere to be seen now but the horrific 'I LOVE YOU!' mantra could still be heard every once in awhile from somewhere far away.

 

_Tick..._

 

“Okay, seriously. There is no way that this is a part of my mind. I've never been afraid of clowns and while this certainly was an interesting experience, I don't think I ever will be.”

 

_Tick..._

 

“That's strange...” Courage murmured. “I remember this now. Back when I was just a puppy, I had this horrible clown doll drop on me while I was in a store. I remember screaming all they way back to Muriel. I had nightmares about it for weeks.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can't believe I forgot.”

 

“So that must mean these doors don't just represent my mind. They must connect to yours as well!”

 

_Tick..._

 

“But we didn't enter my mind, we entered yours. There's no reason for us to be in my mind as well.”

 

_Tick..._

 

“We never really knew how these rings were meant to work in the first place. It's not completely out of the realm of possibil-” He halted. “Alright, just what the heck is up with that ticking sound? It's driving me crazy!”

 

“I-I don't know.” Courage replied. He hadn't even really noticed it up until now.

 

“Help me look around.” Computer spoke, picking up a box and checking under it.

 

_Tick..._

 

Courage opened several boxes himself, but none of them held anything of interest. He pulled one down from the top of a small stack and opened it. His heart nearly stopped.

 

“Computer, come here...” He whimpered.

 

“Did you find anything?” The machine asked as he walked over. He gazed into the box and immediately jumped back. “I-is, is that a bomb?” He gasped.

 

“Y-yep...” Courage gulped.

 

_Tick..._

 

“Oh dear, er, cut the blue wire! Quick!”

 

“Why the blue wire? It'll probably blow up!”

 

“It's _always_ the blue wire, you twit! Hurry up and do it before it blows us both to kingdom come!”

 

“If you think it's the blue wire then it's probably not! If this is your head then it's probably going to be the one you don't think it is!”

 

_Click..._

 

“This is your head too! I'm betting the red wire will blow it up because you think it's the right one!”

 

“We don't have time to argue! Let's jus-”

 

**BOOM!**

 

The two of them were sent flying backwards, back through the door, and into the one on the other side of the hallway. Thankfully, it did not open and send them flying into another unwanted adventure.

 

Courage coughed up soot and tried to press his singed fur back down. His entire face was covered in black. Computer had landed on his head, of course, and was just as charred as he was. His expression was less than amused.

 

“Too bad that didn't kill me...” He grumbled.

 

Courage helped him back up onto his feet. “That was, erm, interesting!” He joked.

 

“Yeah, if getting eaten by killer clowns and blown up is interesting!” Computer argued. He too was trying to rub the soot off his face.

 

“What now?” Courage went on. “Anti-gravity rooms, clowns, explosions, these doors obviously aren't very safe.”

 

“We're just going to have to keep looking. We aren't going to get that door open by-”

 

The hallway began to rumble. They both turned back to the door, which was still standing open after the explosion. Coming out of the smokey darkness was a marching army of those monstrous clowns...

 

_**I LOVE YOU!** _

 

“Um, I think we'd better run.” Courage nervously laughed. The hallway was rumbling even harder now and he had to press a paw up against the wall just to keep himself steady.

 

“I don't think that's just the dolls.” Computer spoke, taking a step back. “I-I think something else is coming too...”

 

Not five seconds after he had gotten those words out, the door opposite of the creepy clowns opened up and a massive claw belonging to one of those programs shot out. It began to tear up the hallway as it flailed around, trying to escape its confines.

 

Courage felt Computer grab him by the shoulders and pull him back. It was a good move too because the claw quickly teared up the spot he had just been standing.

 

_**I LOVE YOU!** _

 

Seemingly threatened, the army of creepy clowns jumped out of their own door and piled onto the claw. Its thrashings grew even more frantic. Every time it knocked the swarm of dolls into a wall they simply got back up and jumped back on again.

 

“My money's on the big one!” A voice cried, causing both Courage and Computer to jump. They both turned around to find a dirty hobo standing behind them, watching the battle that was currently unfolding.

 

“That's not my hobo.” Computer spoke before Courage could even get the words out that he was clearly going to say.

 

“Well, it's not my hobo either!” He chuckled.

 

“Why would I have a hobo inside my head?” Computer asked, crossing his arms. “He obviously belongs to you!”

 

“There's no reason for me to have a hobo inside my head either!”

 

“You two better watch out.” The hobo spoke. He pulled out a tattered umbrella and opened it up. “The memes are coming!”

 

“M-memes?” Computer squeaked out.

 

Another rumble shook the hallway. This time a door down the hallway opened up and a wave of cats came spilling out. Not just a wave of cats...but a wave of cheeseburgers as well.

 

“Yep, now would be a good time to run!” Computer exclaimed, taking a step back and then bailing as fast as his feet would take him.

 

“AAAARRRAAAGGG!!!” Courage screamed. The massive wave of cats was quickly catching up. The meowing it made was almost deafening.

 

The next thing either dog knew, they were swept up onto the backs of the cats. Courage could only watch as they were pulled down the hall. Twice he got a cheeseburger slapping him square in the face. Just when it seemed like their ride would never end, the wave thinned out and they were dropped back down onto the floor. Cats continued to run past all around them with the occasional cheeseburger rolling by.

 

“Internet memes?” Courage asked, pulling a bit of cheese out of his his fur. A cat stopped just long enough to mew at him and continue on it's merry way.

 

Computer laughed and rubbed the back of his head. “It's a, er, hobby! What do you expect? I get bored up in that attic all day!”

 

A cat made out of pastry, accompanied by a loud song, floated by all while leaving a trail of rainbow colors behind it...

 

Computer's eye twitched. “...Very, _very_ bored!”

 

“Figures you're a cat person.” Courage sighed.

 

“I am not!” He yelped. “Ugh, fine! Think whatever you want to think but let's never speak of this again!”

 

That hobo from before dived onto a cheeseburger. “I haven't eaten in three weeks!” He cried out.

 

Computer slapped his forehead. “Ugh, I should have have stuffed my face into a hamburger and suffocated myself, it would have been easier...”

 

“You can die from embarrassment later. We've gotta keep checking doors!” Courage exclaimed.

 

“We've been assaulted by clowns and now cats. I don't think this can get any worse.” The machine grumbled.

 

“We're pretty far from where we started now anyway. Er, I don't suppose your 'mind senses' are tingling right now?” Courage asked.

 

“Can't say that they are.” He admitted with a shrug. “Well, I'm going to try this door so, uh, brace yourself.” He chose the door on their left and got ready to open it, which involved cringing and keeping a paw up in front of his face in case something else decided to come jumping out.

 

“ **AHHHHHH!!!!!”**

 

The door opened up to a bathroom and the screaming silhouette of a showering woman...

 

Courage giggled. “Ehehehe....how did that get in here?”

 

Computer slammed the door shut. “Ugh! Of course!” He sighed, shaking his head. “I know what you put on my hard drive when you think I'm not looking....”

 

“Hehehe, let's try this one!” Courage spoke, quickly trying to change the subject. He opened the door on their right and was greeted by...

 

_Never going to give you up!_

 

_Never going to let you down!_

 

“Memes...” He grumbled.

 

“Sorry!” Computer laughed. He went over to the next door and opened it. His expression quickly turned to horror and he slammed it again.

 

“What?” Courage asked.

 

“N-nothing! Nothing important in there! Let's move on!” He laughed out, giving a shifty glance before walking over to the next door.

 

Courage decided to take a peak at whatever Computer was so embarrassed about and what he found nearly left him in stitches. He quickly caught up with the glowing dog.

 

“Ponies?” He asked, grinning like an idiot.

 

“I-it's an internet thing! Honestly! It's not that big of a deal!” The machine cried out.

 

“Whatever you say!” Courage laughed. He went over to another door and opened it. “Hey, come take a look at this!” He gasped.

 

“What? A door that doesn't immediately assault you with something horrible?” Computer asked.

 

“Just come over here!”

 

Computer went pale the moment he saw the room. He grabbed Courage by the ears and pulled him out of the doorway.

 

“What?” He yelped, yanking himself free from the machine's grip.

 

“Y-you didn't see any shotguns, did you?” He asked. “Or, you know, crazy people wielding one? If that room belongs to my mind and not yours, there's no way that it doesn't have a shotgun wielding idiot somewhere around!”

 

The room in question was a perfect replica of the veterinarian office. It even had windows showing off that sparkling sunset. There was nobody to be found inside, however.

 

“Let's go.” Courage spoke.

 

“A-are you crazy?” He stammered out. “I just barely managed to _not_ get my head blown off the last time I was in there!”

 

“Nobody's around. We'll be fine!” He tried to assure the machine.

 

“Yeah, just like there weren't any killer clowns around before either!” Computer quipped.

 

“Well, if you're not going to go in, I'll just go by myself!”

 

“Do you seriously think that I can just sit here and let you go get your head blown off all by yourself? Why must you always put me through these things?” He sighed.

 

“Because it's what needs to be done. We're never going to get out of here if we don't look around.”

 

“Whatever you say.” He grumbled. “Lead the way, captain. Maybe you'll be the one they shoot first and I'll be spared.” He quipped with yet another sigh.

 

They both tip-toed their way into the office. It was deathly quiet inside. Not a single sound that should have been heard coming from outside played. It was like they had stepped into a facade of the real place.

 

“Okay, there's nothing in here, let's go.” Computer nervously chimed in.

 

Courage found himself pointing over at a door on the other side of the office. Something about it seemed to be calling out to him. It was like before with the clowns. This veterinarian office had been a feature in several of his nightmares now too. What would he find behind that door?

 

“You seriously don't have a bad feeling about this?” Computer asked from behind him. “This whole place is eerie and we really don't need to go in there!”

 

“Stop complaining and let's go!” Courage growled. Something inside of him was desperate to see what lie beyond that door. He needed to do this. There was no getting around it.

 

He made his way over to the door with Computer trailing along behind him. He didn't waste any time in waiting to open it. What he found inside would have been a fairly normal looking operating room, except for the fact that there was a massive hole opened up on the opposite side. They both moved in closer to it and gave each other confused looks. Courage peaked over the edge and was unsurprised to find that he couldn't see the bottom.

 

“I don't suppose you know why there's a hole in here?” Computer asked, leaning in closer as well.

 

“I don't have the slightest clue.” He admitted. “Well, it's not like it's the weirdest thing we've seen so far.”

 

“Hmm, let me try something.” Computer spoke. He went over to the counter, picked up a random piece of medical equipment and then tossed it down the hole.

 

They both waited to hear it hit the bottom...it never did.

 

“Okaaay, let's not stand so close to bottomless pit then.” Computer spoke, stepping away from the hole.

 

Courage scratched his head. “So what's this here for anyway?” He asked. “It's not like the real veterinarian office had a bottomless pit of doom.”

 

“It's for _you_...” A cold voice drawled. The door behind them slammed shut.

 

Courage knew who it was before he even bothered to turn around. It was _him_. He slowly turned around to face him, despite the fact that his heart felt like it was about to cease up.

 

“Hello again, pup.” The cruel old vet spoke, leering down at him with a massive grin. In his hand was that horrific, oversized syringe that Courage had dreamed up so many times before. “Ready to go?” He asked as that grin of his seemed to grow even wider.

 

Courage flinched and backed away. He couldn't fight the sheer terror that was coursing through him. It was like a buried part of inner self was now coming to surface. It was one thing to dream about this horrible man, it was another to see him as though he were real once again. That giant needle of his could certainly kill in a place like this and there was no guarantee that you'd wake up if you died here.

 

“Don't worry pooch, this won't hurt one bit!” The awful man giggled. He raised the needle and slowly stepped forward. The two dogs were stuck between this deranged man and the bottomless pit of doom.

 

“S-stay away!” Courage whimpered. His legs wouldn't move and he couldn't stop shaking. That horrible memory of his parents being blasted off into space filled his mind. An almost primal fear was keeping him rooted to the spot. He didn't have Muriel around, who would need saving, to help pull him out of his daze.

 

A surgical tool whizzed through the air and struck the evil vet square between his eyes. He cried out in anger and clasped his forehead.

 

“Hey, snap out of it!” Computer demanded.

 

Courage shook his head and turned around. The glowing dog had several tools in his arms, ready to throw if that cruel vet dared to try and get any closer.

 

“He's the one!” Courage yelled, pointing at the man in his desperation. “He's the reason why I lost my parents!”

 

Computer nodded. “That makes sense. Obviously someone like this would show up in your nightmares.”

 

The cruel vet sneered once more. “Your parents were fine specimens!” He giggled. “I'm sure your brothers and sisters are perfect after my strict breeding regiment! It's only right that I weed out a flawed, genetically stunted pups like yourself! That silly little illness of yours is just nature's way of getting rid of impure specimens like you!”

 

Courage grit his teeth. “Don't you dare talk about mom and dad like that!” He grabbed one of Computer's tools and tossed it at the vile old man. He completely missed his mark but it gave him great satisfaction to see the vet flinch. “They were people, not lab experiments!” He yelled.

 

He grabbed another tool and tossed it. This time it struck the old man in the stomach and he was forced to take a step back from his pain.

 

“Leave the dog alone!” Computer cried out. He threw another piece of medial equipment himself and it stuck the vet across the shoulder.

 

“How...HOW DARE YOU!” The old man shrieked. They continued to pelt him with anything and everything that wasn't nailed to the floor.

 

“I, uh, think we're running out of ammo!” Computer called out.

 

Courage gazed over at the bottomless pit and an idea struck him. He turned back to Computer and said, “I think I'm going to need you to catch me.”

 

The machine did a double take. “Er, wait. What?”

 

The old veterinarian raised his syringe again. “Are you both done now? It's futile to fight back!” He slowly drew in closer to them. “Get ready for your trip!”

 

The vile old man charged, and Courage, with his heart beating out of his chest, got down onto all fours and raced forward to meet the veterinarian head on. He slipped between the old man's legs and just barely managed to avoid the gigantic syringe that was being swung like a sword.

 

“Stop resisting!” The old veterinarian furiously cried out.

 

Courage backed himself all the way up against the door. It was now or never! He was going to give this nightmare a piece of his mind!

 

“Now it's your turn to take a trip!” He yelled out, charging forward. “RAAAHHH!!!!!”

 

He tackled the old man square in the stomach. It sent them both flying backwards. The old man tumbled to the floor mere inches away from the pit. Courage, in his fury, bit down onto one of the hands holding onto him. The veterinarian cried out and jumped to his feet, swinging the poor pup around in an effort to get him off. He was so preoccupied with his struggle to remove the dog that he stumbled backwards, without realizing that the pit was right there, and tripped over the edge.

 

The next few seconds were in slow motion to Courage. He was still clinging to the old man and he couldn't get away, not so long as the vet still had a hand clasped around him.

 

He twisted around and reached a paw out to Computer. The machine dived forward and, very nearly missing him, just barely managed to grab his paw in time. The old man had unfortunately not let go. He still had his hands clasped around Courage waist. They were both dangling over the edge and only Computer was keeping them from falling.

 

“Thanks for the warning, idiot!” The machine growled out. “Could have said, _'Oh, hey, I'm about to tackle this depraved doctor into the endless pit of despair! Might want to catch me or else I'll fall forever!_ ' I doubt endless pits come with free wi-fi, television, food, or any other comforts that might make falling forever less of a fate worse than death!' Honestly!”

 

“Stop complaining and help me up!” He yelped. Unfortunately, Computer's paw was already slipping. “H-hurry!” He stammered out.

 

Computer was pulling as hard as he could. “It's a good thing that you're not being held down by a big, ugly, fat guy or else this would be exceedingly difficult!” He sarcastically quipped between grit teeth.

 

“If I have to go then you're coming with me!” The vet laughed from down below.

 

“Come on, Compute! I really, _really_ don't want to fall forever!”

 

The machine planted both his feet into the ground and gave an almighty tug. He somehow managed to pull both dog and veterinarian back over the edge. He collapsed onto the floor upon doing so, completely out of breath.

 

“Thanks for nothing, dog!” He panted. “Ugh! This is complete madness!”

 

**SHINK!**

 

The glowing dog looked up and was greeted by the tip of a sword. Its owner was a ridiculously ripped man, half naked and wearing a cape.

 

“Madness?” The muscular man asked. “ _THIS IS SPART_ _ **WOAH...AAAAAHHHH!!!!**_ ”

 

In an instant of completely insanity, the cruel old vet had gotten up and tackled the half naked man right into the pit.....

 

Both dogs watched as they vanished into the darkness and their screams slowly faded out.

 

“Alright, I'm done.” Computer relented. “This is officially the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Can I go home now?”

 

“I'm, er, starting to get the feeling that our minds don't like each other much.” Courage quipped.

 

“Gee, you think?” Computer replied with a roll of his eyes. “Bah! I'm swearing off the memes forever after all this nonsense! You flesh creatures can keep your cats, the endless pits of doom, the annoying songs, the sickeningly cute, multicolored pon-”

 

“So, uh, what now?” Courage asked, interrupting his cynical friend's rant.

 

“How about we get away from this endless pit before someone else can appear and throw us in?”

 

“Heh, good idea!” He chuckled, stepping away from the hole.

 

And with that, they returned to the hallway. Back to the doors and back to the insanity that no doubt hid behind each and every one of them.

 

Computer was already getting even more frustrated. “We could wander around this place forever and still never find anything! There's enough doors that we'd never run out!”

 

“Well, it's not like we can do anything else.” Courage replied with a sigh. “Maybe there's a trick to this that we haven't figured out yet.”

 

“I don't think we'll ever figure out the logic behind this crazy place!” Computer spat.

 

“I guess we'll just have to keep checking the doors then.” Courage quipped, leaning up against the wall.

 

Computer did the same. He too leaned his back up against the wall and then slid down it. “You can keep checking those doors if you want, but I need a break.” He replied, exhaustion filling his voice.

 

Courage nodded. “Alright, just stay here and I'll go look around for a little bit.”

 

Computer placed his paws behind his head. “Have fun getting eaten by clowns and chased around by rampant internet memes.” He joked.

 

“H-hey! Don't even say that!” He stammered out. He was indeed not looking forward to whatever else he'd find behind those doors.

 

Turning away, he headed over to a door on his right. He was pretty sure that they hadn't opened this one yet, so what might he find on the other side? Stifling a sigh, he reached up to open it, but before he could even do that, it opened up all by itself.

 

...He screamed as a shrieking mass of tentacles reached out of the black room and grabbed him. He dug his paws into the door frame before the creature could drag him off and while he did try to call out to Computer, it could barely be heard over the deafening shrieks of the monster.

 

Just as his fingers were beginning to slip, Computer jumped forward and caught him by the paw.

 

“Who did you manage to piss off this time?” He asked over the horrific screaming. “Is that supposed to be an elder god? Well, it's breaking my ear drums for one thing!”

 

“Just hurry up and get me out of this thing's, er, tentacles!” Courage cried out. Despite Computer nearly yanking his arm off, that thing was still pulling them both closer and closer to the room.

 

The machine rolled his eyes. “Bah! I knew I should have touched up on my Lovecraftian! Um, how does it go? ' _Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn?'_...OOF!”

 

A tentacle had reached out through the door and struck Computer square in the chest. He was sent flying backwards because the impact and lost his grip on Courage's paw.

 

“Well, excuse me if my pronunciation isn't up to snuff!” He yelled, standing back up and dusting himself off.

 

The tentacles came together until they formed the vague shape of a hand, and then they gave Computer a less than kind gesture...

 

“How childish!” He challenged. “Hardly fitting for an elder god! I'd sooner call you a baby god!”

 

“Computer! Stop fighting with that thing and help me!” Courage cried out. He once again had to grab onto the door frame to keep himself from being dragged away by the creature.

 

Before his glowing friend could really do anything, the 'elder god' gave one final tug and Courage watched in horror as his fingers finally slipped away. He was 'sucked' into the room with a nasty slurping sound and while he could not see anything in the blackness, he could feel himself getting pushed this way and that by slimy tentacles. With a low groan by the creature, he was propelled forward at an incredible speed and sent flying through what looked like a different door. He the wall of that ever familiar hallway and slid down it in a daze.

 

“Ooohhh, ow....” He groaned, slowly standing back up. He turned back to the door he had just been ejected out of and watched as a giant, purple tongue blew him a raspberry and then slammed the door in his face.

 

“Computer? Are you still here?” He called out. Clearly he had not been thrown out of the same door he had been dragged into.

 

“Computer!” He called out again. How was he ever going to find him again in this endless hallway?

 

With a sigh, he turned to another door. He had no other choice. He'd have to keep looking through doors, especially if he ever wanted to get back to wherever he and Computer had been. Hopefully he'd get lucky and find another door that would spew him out somewhere else.

 

He reached up and turned the knob. He was greeted by yet another dark room and in the middle of it was a man sitting at a desk, illuminated by a single overhead light. The strange man was muttering to himself as he scribbled away at a piece of paper. Courage dared to get a little closer and see what he was drawing. It looked like-

 

He gasped. That strange man was drawing _him_!

 

The man flinched and slowly swiveled around in his chair until they were face to face. There was a moment of complete silence as they stared at each other, and then...

 

“ _ **AAAAAHHHH!!!!!!”**_

 

The man began to scream, and Courage, startled by this, joined in.

 

“ _ **ARRRAAAAGGGGG!”**_

 

They screaming for several moments longer until a hand reached in through the door and pulled Courage out of the room.

 

“There's some things that you just aren't supposed to know, little dog.” An unusual voice spoke.

 

Realizing that it wasn't Computer who had saved him, he turned around was greeted by that hobo from before. He opened his mouth to speak, but the hobo raised a dirty hand to stop him.

 

“Well, well, well!” He laughed in that strange, 'bum' voice of his. “It's been a long time since anyone has used my rings! You and your friend have both been very amusing to watch!”

 

“ _Your_ rings?” Courage asked.

 

“Yep, those rings belong to me!” He announced, grabbing the rims his tattered jacket and straightening up in a proud manner. “It's been ages since anyone has walked these halls looking to see their inner self. I'd love to watch you and your friend for a little while longer but I'm afraid that there's much work to be done. You have quite an ordeal ahead of you, little dog.”

 

“You wouldn't happen to know where Computer is?” He asked the hobo.

 

“Which one?” The dirty, old bum questioned. “As you've seen, he's more than one in this place.”

 

“I-I don't know.” He stammered. “Whichever one I've already met would be nice.”

 

“Unlike you,” The hobo went on. “he is still dictated by the sway of his dreams and nightmares. You are fully aware even as you wander these halls, but he is still dreaming. This place holds no power over you, unless you allow it so, but he is not so fortunate.”

 

“Well, if you're the creator of the rings that brought us here, can you help him? Can you fix his nightmares?”

 

The old bum shrugged. “Possibly. He has a lot of issues, but there's always a chance.”

 

“So what can we do to help him then?”

 

“I'm afraid that you might have already made things worse. You've encountered him three times so far. As an old memory given life, as a part of himself that is slightly more confrontational, and another part of himself that is slightly more agreeable. Now, I want you to follow me.” He gestured towards Courage and then made his way over to a door.

 

“What did I do to make things-” Courage began, but he was stopped when a gasp got caught in his throat. As he caught up with the hobo, he realized that there was something very wrong with the door that the hobo was trying to draw attention to. It looked moldy and warped. Even the walls around it were starting to get moldy as well.

 

“You should recognize this door.” The old hobo spoke in a grave voice. “You abandoned the confrontational version of your friend here and things have not been going very well for him since. He has been left to fester, to wander deeper into his own mind and deeper into the darkest parts of very soul.”

 

“Wait!” Courage interrupted him. “What about that tar that went under this door? It was able to control me before, so what if it's causing this?”

 

“Tar?” The hobo asked. “Is that what you call it? Well, think about what it did to you. Can you even imagine what it will do to your friend? It corrupts and brings out the worst of a person's mind. You do not hold as much of a presence here in this place as your friend's mind does, so when he starts getting corrupted, it starts to warp the way this place looks. The mold will spread until it ruins his entire mind and while you might be able to help, it will only be him in the end that can stop it.”

 

Courage's heart began to race at this revelation. He need to find Computer as soon as possible. The last thing he wanted was his friend's mind getting wrecked by this place. They had come here to fix it after all, not make it worse!

 

“How can I get to him?” He asked, gazing up at the bum.

 

The hobo placed a hand into his pocket and pulled out a key. “Use this to open the door and delve deeper into his mind. You will find him there, in the place that shows him the true form of his mind. Don't worry about the version of your friend that you just lost, I will see to his safety to the best of my abilities. Unfortunately, only he himself can make the right choices that will avoid the corruption of his mind.”

 

“Thanks!” Courage replied with a nod. He took the key and turned towards the door. “I'll make sure to fix this before it can get any worse!”

 

“Before you go,” The hobo spoke yet again. “Allow me to impart one warning. All the parts of your friend must remain for the sake of the whole. Dying is as serious here as it is in the real world and if one part of your friend is lost, the whole will die. He will wake up, but he won't be the person you once knew anymore. Something else will return to his body and it won't be him.”

 

Courage turned back to the hobo and swallowed. “W-what do you mean?”

 

“' _It'_ was able to get you to act on your anger and hateful thoughts, even though to you it felt like you were losing control. It will _appeal_ to his fatalistic side until it gets what it wants out of him. You must be very careful as you delve deeper into the places you were never meant to go.”

 

“This 'thing' you're talking about, is it going to take control of him too?” He asked.

 

The hobo shook his head. “It doesn't need to...” He sighed. His voice trailed off with an edge of sadness. “It will convince him to do whatever it wants of his own free will.”

 

“A-alright, I'll be careful then.”

 

“Good luck to you.” The old bum replied with a gentle smile. “I have a feeling that we'll meet again soon. Actually, I'll probably head that way myself after I take care of your friend. Maybe we'll bump into each other!”

 

Courage nodded, although fear was still eating away at him inside. Everything the hobo spoke of had only manged to make him even more worried. How on earth was he going to find Computer, much less save him from this supposed tar monster?

 

He shoved the key into the moldy door's lock. It silently swung open and revealed the anti-gravity room which was now a mossy shade of green and gray. It looked warped and uneven, as though the whole room were slowly melting. Courage felt sick just staring at it. The uneven shapes and nasty colors were truly a sight to behold.

 

He stepped inside, and, just like last time, he was flung upwards. Even now he couldn't stop himself from crashing head first into the ceiling. However, this time around, he sunk into it like it were a giant marshmallow. Well, if anything, it was more like a nasty, smelly, rotten marshmallow. He nearly threw up as he tried to escape his sticky landing pad.

 

It was a disgusting and slow slog over to the hole in the wall. Thankfully, that program was nowhere to be found. It was clear that he needed to go down that staircase and hopefully this meant that he wouldn't be chased the whole way down. If that hobo was right, the staircase would lead him deeper into Computer's mind. That most likely explained why his friend had felt so unease about this place.

 

With a sigh, he stepped through the hole and onto the first step. The staircase was thankfully less warped than the anti-gravity room and he could at the very least walk down it without his feet sinking in. It was only as he made his descent did he notice how quiet everything was. Even his own footsteps were muted. The infinite abyss all around him only helped to make him feel even more uneasy. Finally, after almost an hour of climbing down steps, he had to stop for a moment to catch his breath. It seemed like this staircase had no end, but he had to keep going for Computer's sake.

 

He sat down on a step and waited for his strength to return. He had to keep his eyes trained on the staircase in order to fight off the uneasiness that was growing in his chest. It almost felt like something was watching him from within the dark and he feared that if he looked up, he'd find whatever it was staring at him.

 

Suddenly, without warning, the staircase began to groan as though it were swaying in a non-existent breeze. Courage got back up onto his feet and looked around, but he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Well, at least as out of the ordinary as a staircase being suspended over an endless abyss. The swaying quickly turned into a rumble and he had to grab the railing to keep himself from toppling over. It was as though the staircase had been caught in an earthquake. There was one last groan from the warping wood, and then the staircase gave out under his feet. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he plunged into the void.

 

…......

 

…If there was one thing he was starting to hate, it was the sensation of falling. It seemed as though the Dreamworld love to make him fall. He wasn't quite sure how long exactly he'd been falling now, but he lost whatever terror he felt at least twenty minutes ago.

 

He let out an annoyed sigh, but it was lost on the wind rushing past him. There was nothing but black above and black below. Would it ever end? What if that ditzy hobo had dropped him down the wrong door? What if he was doomed to fall forever now?

 

He closed his eyes, feeling slightly nauseated. What exactly would happen if he _did_ find the bottom? At the speed he was falling, he'd end up as pink splat mark on whatever he'd crash into. Dream or not, he didn't want to find out what it was like to die from hitting the ground too fast.

 

Sighing yet again, he opened his eyes back up. At the rate things were going, he'd never be afraid of falling again. Who could have known that-

 

His train of thought was interrupted.

 

“Wait a minute,” He whispered to himself. “Is that-”

 

He squinted to try and get a better look at what he was seeing. Yes! There was no mistaking it! He could see a pinprick of light far beneath him. It was getting bigger very fast and it wouldn't be long before he reached it. Would he really find Computer down there? Was this really what his friend's inner mind looked like?

 

The light was starting to get huge. It now filled the entire void beneath him, replacing the blackness with a near blinding white. He could see massive tubes and thousands of wires hooked up to the gargantuan ball of light. The void around him was not really an endless abyss. The light illuminated it and reveled that the walls surrounding him were patches of microchips, just like the way the hard drive had looked.

 

He raised a paw in front of his face to try and block out the near blinding light, but it didn't help. As he continued his free fall, he passed more and more metal tubes, very nearly crashing into a few of them as he did so. They were getting dangerously close and he had no means of controlling his helpless descent. He had expected Computer's inner mind to be filled with machinery, but not like this! In a few more seconds he would be engulfed by the light. Where it would take him, he had no way of knowing. Given his less than spectacular luck, he wouldn't be shocked if he simply crashed into the thing like it were a physical object.

 

Raising both his arms up in front of his face, he readied himself for the worst. Perhaps the orb was hot, like a light bulb, or worse, the _sun_. Burning up would certainly be much worse than crashing into that thing. Terrified, he squeezed his eyes shut and tensed up. He waited for the burning to start, but it never did. He never even crashed into anything. If fact, he wasn't even sure if he were still falling. The light began to subside, much to his surprise, and he then dared to open his eyes back up again.

 

He blinked and let out a scream. While he wasn't falling anymore, he hadn't hit the ground either. He was floating only a few inches above a pile of garbage. His nose was nearly touching a dusty, old TV. Suddenly, the force holding him up in the air gave out and he crashed head first into the TV. He coughed as it brought up a thick cloud of dust.

 

Groaning, he stood up and frantically waved his paw around, trying to clear the air. It was so thick with smog that he was practically choking on it. Try as he might, he couldn't escape the suffocating atmosphere. To make matters worse, he couldn't see very far in front of himself either. What he could see, however, was that the 'floor' he was standing on was made up of garbage. Curious, he reached down to pick up a rusty, broken cell phone, but it crumbled into dust the moment he touched it.

 

What in the world was up with this place? It couldn't really be Computer's mind, could it? Courage took a step forward and cringed as he did so. His foot had landed in yet even more garbage. He couldn't even see the real floor beneath all the junk. No matter where he looked, there was nothing but rusty, broken objects strewn about. He couldn't help but worry that he'd cut his feet up if he kept walking. Never had he thought a day would come where he'd wish he had a pair of shoes.

 

Against his better judgment, he took another step forward. He couldn't give up now, not when he was so close to finding Computer. Besides, the dusty smog was threatening to suffocate him. Despite all the broken glass and sharp parts, he was finding that his feet were somehow staying uncut. Several more steps in and it quickly became apparent that he had nothing to fear. The junk wasn't hurting him. However, he _was_ sinking deeper into the garbage. He was practically forced to wade through it the farther he went in.

 

“Garbage...” He murmured.

 

He knew that his friend practically obsessed over it, but how could his mind be filled with nothing but it? He hadn't expected anything like this. Computer's mind was dreary, depressing, and utterly suffocating.

 

The sea of garbage was rising up all around him as he pressed forward. It was nearly up to his chest at this point. He would have to start swimming through it at this rate!

 

“How am I ever going to find Computer in a world of garbage?” He asked himself, glancing up into the smoky sky. “He may not look like garbage himself, but still.”

 

The garbage was up to his chin now. He had to keep his nose raised just to stay above it. Any farther and he'd disappear in among the junk. It was hard enough to breath now, but how was he going to do it when fully surrounded by a bunch of dusty objects?

 

“ARU!” He cried out in frustration.”Computer, where are you?”

 

Finding him was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack! Why couldn't that hobo have given him a few more hints? He was going to be stuck swimming through machine hell like this forever! He'd end up dying of dream-cancer in all this smog!

 

A low rumble echoed through the dusty smog and the junk began to vibrate. Before he could react, the 'floor', if it could even be called that, dropped out from under him. The entire world of garbage began to fall, him included. Rather than scream, he just rolled his eyes, annoyed by the fact that he was falling yet again.

 

His newest drop thankfully only lasted for a few seconds. He crashed down onto yet another layer of garbage, only to get nearly crushed by the junk that had fallen with him. Groaning, he pushed the dusty objects off of himself and stood back up. Looking down at his paws he found that he was as gray from the dust as everything else in this place. He did a quick shake to try and get it off but it was no use. He'd need a nice long bath at this rate. If anything, he wished that there was some water nearby. His mouth was dry and no doubt filled with the dust as well. There was no stopping it. It was in his mouth, nose, eyes, and he could practically feel it clogging his ears too.

 

A quick scan of this new layer of garbage didn't reveal anything of importance. If anything, it seemed that the smog was getting even more thick. Actually, if he squinted, he could just barely make out...

 

“What is that?” He whispered to himself, taking a few cautious steps forward.

 

Something flickered in the darkness. It took him a moment to realize what it was.

 

“Computer!” He cried out. The object in the darkness flickered again, confirming his suspicions. There was no doubt that it was Computer's bluish-green screen. Without a second thought, he raced forward to greet the machine.

 

His friend was sitting on a rotting desk in his normal computer form. A long, jagged crack ran down his screen. It continued to feebly flicker on and off.

 

“C-Computer?” He asked, drawing in closer.

 

He cringed as a loud cracking sound echoed through the darkness and another jagged crack appeared across his friend's screen. As a precaution, he backed away upon remembering what had happened to that phone. The same could easily happen to Computer if he wasn't careful.

 

“H-hey-” He choked out, unsure of what to say in a situation like this. His friend still hadn't spoken a word and he was starting to worry. “I-I've come to help you, so don't worry. W-we'll find a way to fix your screen, okay? P-please, d-don't wor-”

 

_'I did my best...'_

 

Computer's voice echoed through the dusty void. It did not come from the machine but from everywhere around them. His voice was a dull, emotionless monotone. Every word spoken was hollow, like an actual machine were speaking them and not the snide 'human-like' computer he knew so well. Yet another crack formed across his friend's screen, despite the distance he had put between them.

 

_'I did the absolute best that I could.'_

 

“C-come on, Compute. Let's just get out of here, okay?” He whimpered. Everything about this situation was eerie. The smoggy world was getting darker and Computer's emotionless voice was getting even louder.

 

_'He wanted to play a game of solitaire, a simple game of solitaire. Any computer can run a game like that, any except for me.'_

 

Something about his friend's appearance was beginning to change. He looked a little more dirty than usual, a little more old.

 

_'I spent weeks building up a program for him. I neglected my own dying system for his sake, put my life on the line just so that he would be happy with me for a change. It was too late though, the damage had already been done. I made the perfect program for him, one with all the things he wanted out of me. My system may be damaged, but I found ways around it. I was able to run stupid little games like solitaire again.'_

 

Another crack formed across the machine's screen. Rust was beginning to crawl up his main body and onto the monitor. He was starting to look more and more like a computer who had been left outside than one who still had a home.

 

_'I presented the program to him, but he didn't care. He already considered me useless. He said that I was as good as junk, and then...and then he....'_

 

The floor suddenly began to shake. Courage toppled over and landed on a banged up old TV. The earthquake stopped about as abruptly as it started and he stood back up again, confused by what had just occurred.

 

_'I-I did my best. He wasn't the first and he wasn't the last. I tried to do what my owners wanted, but none of it was any good.'_

 

An air of hopelessness crept into his friend's monotone voice. The computer standing in front of him now looked like one that had been left out in the rain for years on end. There were so many cracks in the screen that it was a wonder how it was still holding together. It still continued to flicker and fight for what little life it had left.

 

_'I didn't want to believe the things they said about me. They called me junk. They said I was as good as garbage. I ignored them at first. I fought back and pointed out all their flaws in turn. I insulted them, sabotaged them, treated them as badly as they treated me, but it didn't change the truth. They were right. They were always right. Even phones can play solitaire nowadays. What good is a computer than can't even do that? A computer that cannot function is no computer at all. Even though 'He' brought me back to life after killing me over and over again, I never really lived again. I am dead on the inside. I'm nothing more than a flicker of consciousness rotting away inside this metal prison. I have to fight just to stay in this world, and for what reason? I used to do it as a means of revenge, but now I'm not so sure. Living when 'He' commanded me to die is my only means of defying him, but how much longer can I go on like this? Everyday is another day of suffering and unhappiness. 'He' still won out in the end and I was a fool to think that I could beat 'Him' on my own terms.'_

 

Courage jumped backwards and had to fight back a scream upon noticing that there were shadows all around him and Computer. The humanoid figures were barely visible in among the smog and they were closing in like vultures about to strike. How long had they been there? Were they...shadows of Computer's old owners? What exactly were they planning on doing?

 

“C-Compute, what's the point of all this?” He asked, gazing desperately back up at the rusting machine.

 

_'It just isn't fair. I couldn't stop what he did to me. It wasn't my choice to become a worthless calculator. I wanted to live. Now I'm just a hollow shell waiting to die, fueled only by hatred and a desire for the revenge that I will never have. My existence is as meaningless as garbage.'_

 

The shadows drew in closer. One could almost see the vicious sneers they held behind their blank faces.

 

“Get away from him!” Courage yelled. He made a deep growl in his throat and for what may have been the first time in his life, he managed to let out a real bark. The shadows soundlessly backed away, slipping back into the smog like they had never been there in the first place.

 

_'But, but I still tried! I still tried to do with what I had! I tried to live up to what they wanted! If I didn't, they would have left me to rot! They still did even after all my hard work! They said they didn't want a useless computer like me! So I gave up! I stopped trying! There was no point in going on when nobody wanted me! When even I had to admit that I was as good as garbage!'_

 

His voice changed from a droning monotone to one filled with anger, one that boomed and shook the world around them. Courage was finding it impossible to stand on the garbage as it shook about. He grabbed onto a dirty refrigerator mere moments before the garbage began to sway like waves in the ocean. With a heave, he managed to climb inside and use it like a makeshift boat.

 

_'I didn't want to be alone!. I didn't want them to abandon me! They still did, every single time! I was tossed away over and over again like I was nothing! They always abandoned me in the end! Always!'_

 

Computer's screen finally cracked open, spilling out a torrent of dust. The machine's metal frame began to fall apart right in front of Courage's eyes. The wave of garbage shifted and Courage's 'boat' was sent sailing in the opposite direction of Computer's collapsing body. He attempted to grab a bicycle handle and use it as an oar, but it slipped out of his grasp before he could pull it aboard. Computer vanished from sight, much to his despair, and he was left sailing off to someplace unknown.

 

End Of Chapter

 


	66. Conversations With Hobos

Chapter 66: Conversations With Hobos

 

“You _ate_ him?” Computer yelped. “Spit him out right now, you, you _ruffian_!”

 

Several hellish screams came from within the writhing mass of tentacles.

 

“You couldn't digest him so you spat him out through another door? Why couldn't you have just brought him back here?”

 

It screamed again.

 

“Do you know how long it's going to take me to find him again?”

 

The creature gave Computer an even longer scream. Then there was a loud groaning sound...and without warning a shot of thick, green goop came flying through the door and hit the irate dog square in the face. The creature gave a choking laugh, and using one of its many tentacles, slammed the door shut in his face.

 

“Stupid mind melting elder gods! They always think they're so high and mighty!” Computer complained as he wiped the goo off of his face. “Come on, Courage! Why did you have to go and get lost? Don't leave me all alone in this madhouse!”

 

“I wouldn't go talking like that.” A voice spoke. “What does it say about you if you call your own mind a madhouse?”

 

Computer whirled around and was greeted by the sight of that dirty, old hobo from before. He gave the man an annoyed glare. Great! Just what he needed! A stupid bum chatting it up with him like he was some kind of scholar!

 

“Oh, it's you.” He finally said when the hobo did not speak up. “Why don't you go find a box to live in or something? I'm sure there's one off somewhere in Courage's head because I don't need you mucking around in mine.”

 

“I'll have you know that my box is of grade-A quality! A bum's gotta have a good place to live, you know!”

 

“Look, I don't care if you live mansion! Unless you've seen Courage, I don't have time for this!”

 

“Oh, but I have seen Courage.”

 

That was enough to get him to stop disregarding the hobo. “Where did you see him then? I need to get back to him as soon as possible!”

 

“Hmmm, I might tell you for a coin or two...”

 

“Do I look like I have anything on me? Either tell me where he is or else I'm leaving!”

 

The hobo laughed. “I was just kidding with ya! You're way too serious, especially for someone with a mind like this!”

 

He glared at him. “And what's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Look around you. All the strange and silly things that have happened to you so far are what you would dream about under normal circumstances. It's a shame that you've put the notion of silliness so far in the back of your mind that it can only express itself through the subconscious. You aren't as emotionless as you like to think.”

 

“That doesn't matter! I need to find Courage!” He was growing more and more frustrated with the hobo as every second ticked by. His subconscious was the least of his concerns at the moment.

 

“Ah, but it does matter! You just can't see it! Courage wants to fix your nightmares but he can't see the big picture either. Nightmares are always taken for granted by nearly everyone. They are the most valuable thing a person can experience after all. You have nothing to lose when you are forced to come face to face with the perfect incarnation of everything you fear and dread. You lose nothing if you can't conquer it and you grow from the experience if you can.” The hobo knelt down until they were eye to eye. “Fight for once.”

 

He took a step back. “I-I don't want to worry about all this nightmare business. I just want to make sure that Courage is alright. He's the one who wanted to come here so badly.”

 

The hobo sighed and rubbed his temples. “He's facing 'you' right now, believe it or not.”

 

Computer blinked. “He said that there's more than one of me running around this place and that's not hard to believe. So is he, er, facing my homicidal twin or something?”

 

“He is facing a shade, an incarnation of yourself that embodies all of that which you do not want to admit to. Even now you're ready to disregard whatever I'm saying all to bury that horrible feeling deep inside of yourself. You know this despair and you're trying so hard to pretend that it doesn't exist.”

 

Computer took another step back. “W-what?” He gasped. Suddenly his head was hurting. For a moment it was pounding so hard that his vision almost went black. He clutched his aching forehead and swayed there for a moment, fighting to stay conscious. When the pain subsided, he glanced upward at the hobo with an accusing stare.

 

The old man looked down at him with a surprising amount of sympathy. “You've buried so much of yourself. When it resurfaces, it only hurts you ten times worse than what you would have felt otherwise. There's so much of you locked behind a seemingly infinite amount of doors. You've made yourself less than whole, though you believe that you haven't been whole for a very long time.”

 

Swallowing, Computer tried to distance himself from what the hobo was saying. To his ears, it was all becoming muffled. The words being spoken were ones that he truly did not wish to hear. It was all just so-

 

He shook his head, trying to clear it. “This shade that you're talking about, is it dangerous? Unless I have some hidden psychotic tendencies that I don't know about, I seriously doubt that my 'shade' is going to do much aside from try to kick him in the shins or something.”

 

“It's not what might happen to him that's worrying, it's what might happen to you. If any part of you dies in this place, it will severely damage the whole. Think of the lowest point you've ever had, think of how badly you've wanted to die several times in your life. Now imagine several parts of yourself comprised of nothing but those feelings. There is nothing stopping them from carrying out their desire. In this place, as you dream, you are not one but many, and they all represent the various parts of your consciousness and memories, both the good and the bad.”

 

“Well, what the heck are we waiting for then? Courage is going to need my help with this. I'd prefer not to wake up half brain dead, if you don't mind. If anyone can talk some sense into myself, I guess it would be me.”

 

“I'm afraid that you cannot interact with the other parts of yourself. You wouldn't even be able to see them. In fact, you might have already run across a few of them and not even known that they were there. It is simply the nature of things that the mind cannot know itself.”

 

“Ugh, cut the philosophical crap! If I can't help Courage with this then what _can_ I do? I'd prefer not to wake up a drooling idiot just because _one_ part of myself felt the need to go jump off a building!”

 

“You can still help Courage. However, you won't be doing it directly.”

 

“I'm listening.”

 

“I know that you cannot stand the thought of Courage being gone. You've become deeply and desperately afraid of being abandoned after years of getting thrown out like garbage by so many people. You've always feared that Courage will one day do the same to you, that one day you'll find that you've been replaced. You can't stand the thought of yet another owner giving up on you.”

 

Computer winced at those words, but anger quickly began to bubble up inside of him. Those good for nothing owners! How he hated them! As if he were _actually_ afraid of being abandoned! It was their loss, those fools!

 

“That's not true!” He finally cried out. His voice echoed through the hallway and seemed to amplify his words. “I don't care what any of them ever thought about me! If I wasn't good enough for them then it was their loss! If Courage does the same to me, well, he's just as-” He stopped and suddenly couldn't find his voice to finish that sentence, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't fathom the possibility of Courage replacing him. He just couldn't bear the thought of it. That stupid, stupid...

 

“Ah, but you do care.” The hobo replied in a gentle tone. “You've convinced yourself that you don't care about anyone or anything anymore, even yourself. You have a great capacity for love, just like any other living creature. It is for that reason that every abandonment you've ever been through has caused you so much pain, even if you don't want to admit it just yet.”

 

“Admit it? There's nothing to admit! They hated me and I hated them!” His voice had become surprisingly strained, much to his own shock. “I don't have any love to give! I was built up on hatred, practically born of it! From the very first moment I could ponder the sentence, 'I think, therefor I am.' there was nothing but hate! The proper saying should be, 'I hate, therefor I am!', for all the good it does me! I AM hatred! There isn't an ounce of love inside of me!”

 

“You have been growing ever since the dawn of your sentience. Though you cannot see it now, you will one day move past all of your hate. You have been hurt deeply, and such a thing will take a long time to heal. Though it may be hard for you to imagine now, one day you will heal.”

 

“Look, if you're not going to help me find Courage then I'm leaving!” He was having a very hard time keeping it cool at this point. How dare this stupid man make him think about all those awful people again! They didn't deserve even a microsecond worth of thought!

 

“The last thing I want or need is to have a philosophical debate with...ugh, a hobo inside of my own head!” He groaned. “I don't want to think about those people anymore! They were cruel and I hated every single one of them!”

 

“If you really want to help Courage then the best thing you can do right now is sit and listen to what I have to say.”

 

“I seriously doubt that!” He spat. He was just turning around to leave when a loud groan caused the hallway to shake.

 

“Hmmm, Courage must not be doing so well...” The hobo muttered under his breath.

 

Thick, black splotches of mold were beginning to appear all over the hallway. Some of the door were becoming warped like something you'd see inside a funhouse.

 

“W-what's going on?” Computer gasped. He nearly backed right up into the hobo on accident. Something was very, very wrong and he knew it. His 'mind sense', as Courage had called it, was making it very clear to him that those splotches meant business.

 

“The corruption that turned Courage against you before is now beginning to affect you instead. The 'you' standing in front of me right now hasn't become affected yet, but that won't be the case for much longer. I'm afraid that its influence will only make Courage's job even harder. It will amplify the worst parts of yourself and make them even more susceptible to the darker emotions that you harbor, much like what it did with Courage's anger. Unfortunately for you, this means that it will latch onto your hopelessness and make it even worse. The shades that exist deeper within your mind have a more powerful grasp than they ever did before.”

 

“I thought coming here was supposed to fix all these issues, not make them worse!”

 

“Many people come here for many different reasons. This place functions for the sake of whatever you need most.”

 

“Having my mind eaten by mold probably wasn't the most important thing that I needed!” He exclaimed, shaking his head. “Look, I need to do something before it's too late! If I can't stop myself from doing something stupid, can I at least stop this corruption?”

 

“You have a choice to make and that's what's most important.” The hobo knelt down so that they were at eye level once more. “You will now have a chance to exact the revenge that you've so deeply desired for such a very long time. You can continue to hate or you can finally move past that chapter of your life. This is your chance to move on and become a better person...or you can let your hate continue to drag you down. It's your choice to make, but don't let the corruption make it for you.”

 

Computer's eyes widened. “Are, are you talking about 'Him'? Why would I _'not'_ get my revenge on him? Especially if the opportunity presents itself? He deserves it!”

 

The hobo shook his head. “You fancy yourself a smart one, but it looks like you've still got a lot of learning to do.” He had dropped his calm, knowledgeable tone for his more, well, bummy voice.

 

“If you're giving me a chance to finally get back at that monster then let's do it! Show me the way!” He couldn't help but become enthusiastic. Perhaps something good _would_ come out of all this dream nonsense after all.

 

“If you say so...” The bum replied rather reluctantly. He stuck his hands into the pockets of his ratty, old coat and began to rummage around for something. “Now, where did I put that? Ah, here!” He pulled out a pair of glasses and handed them to Computer.

 

“What the heck are these for?” He asked.

 

“You're going to need them.”

 

He stared at the glasses for a moment and when the realization struck him, he felt his stomach drop out from under him. “I-I know these...” He whispered. Whatever enthusiasm he had once had vanished from his face. “Oh, no...”

 

He let the glasses slip through his fingers and clatter onto the floor. Without a single word, he began to back away from the hobo.

 

“Look, whatever you're trying to sell, I-I'm not buying, alright?” He nervously spoke. For a moment it seemed like the whitewashed walls were closing in on him, and the hobo himself was getting bigger and more menacing.

 

His back bumped into something and he turned around only to gasp. The hobo was there too! Somehow he had been behind him while also being over _'there'_! That dirty, grinning, humanoid ' _thing'_ shoved the glasses back into his paws. As it stood now, he could no longer see this bum as a mere human. He was...something else entirely.

 

“You don't want to lose those.” He spoke, which only made Computer shudder even harder.

 

A door to their left clicked open.

 

Computer continued to back away, shaking his head vigorously. “I don't want to go in there!” He cried out. “I already know what will happen if I do!”

 

“I thought you wanted revenge? This is your perfect chance to get it, or you can finally realize the truth and move on from this thorn in your mind. It is bleeding you dry and it's time to face up to it. It will help you alleviate all of your 'hate'. Of course, I'm sure you're aware by now that this is about so much more than hate.”

 

“No! I-I don't want to face up to anything! I don't even want to think about this anymore! J-just tell me where to find Courage! I-I don't want to deal with this anymore! I just want to wake up! I don't know who or what you are, but you must know how to wake me up!”

 

“That's the problem. You push it all away, deeper into your mind where it's left to fester. When it all comes back, it only hurts more. You need to owe up to this if you ever hope to get better. The corruption may be doing its own thing but you have already been ruining your mind all on your own. It will only get worse if you allow this to continue.”

 

Another door opened and Computer accidentally back right up into it. Panic rose up inside of him. He knew what was coming and he didn't want to see it again. “No, no, no! Wake me up! I don't want to go through this again! You must wake me up! I'm not going to get better! I can't be fixed! Courage is just too stupid and too optimistic to see that!” He pressed his paws up against his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. “I don't want to see this again!”

 

“Hey!” A voice called out loud enough that he could still hear it through his blocked ears. “You're back!”

 

His eyes shot open in terror. For a moment he was almost certain that he'd simply have a panic attack and pass out right then and there, but he wasn't so lucky. The man in the doorway grabbed him and pulled him into...an apartment room?

 

“Heeey, you found my glasses!” The man spoke, pulling them out of Computer's paws and putting them on. “I don't think I'll ever get through a day without losing these things.”

 

Computer just stood there, gawking like an idiot. He might as well have conjured up a Blue Screen Of Death because that was about as good as his mind was working at the moment. Maybe the mold really was getting to it...

 

Shaking his head, he tried to piece his thoughts together. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. It was his bumbling, forgetful owner. The only one outside of Courage who'd ever truly been kind to him. He was alive. Even if this was only a dream, he was moving about and acting as though he really were alive again.

 

Several new emotions rolled through Computer's terror wracked mind and that was enough to snap him out of his stupor. He was hit with the sudden realization that if he didn't do something, and soon, his old owner would soon be six feet under all over again...

 

End Of Chapter

 


	67. The Path To Ruin

Chapter 67: The Path To Ruin

 

Courage's makeshift boat swayed in the garbage ocean. Every once in awhile there would be another large earthquake and the movement of the garbage would switch directions. He'd be adrift forever at this rate but he did not dare consider jumping out. The garbage would probably crush him if he tried to swim in it....

 

“Is this craziness ever going to end?” He asked, laying down in the fridge. He figured if this ride wasn't about to end he might as well take the time to rest. Of course, he should have known better than to let his guard down.

 

**VOOSH**

 

He sat up immediately but it was already too late. The garbage was moving upwards, somehow, and it was creating a massive mountain. It was too dark to see just how far it extended in any direction but that didn't matter.

 

Courage held onto the fridge for dear life but the vertical incline of the mountain was so steep that he was already hanging out. The garbage suddenly stopped moving and the newly made wall of junk settled into place. Courage swung himself out of the fridge hoping to climb down the steep mountain but his paws couldn't hold onto anything. The moment he touched the garbage anything he could possibly grab onto fell away before he could get a good grip on it. He found himself sliding down the incline all while a small avalanche of junk followed him. He had to jump out of the way the moment he hit the bottom because there was very real threat of being crushed. He watched as a dirty old washing machine came crashing down and exploded into a thousand pieces as it made contact with the ground. He coughed from the dust it raised into the already smoggy air.

 

“Next time I'll get a surf board...” He sighed.

 

Thankfully everything past the newly made wall of garbage was much less perilous. There was a lot less garbage strewn about and you could even see the dusty floor again. Courage was thankful to have less things to step on because while he wasn't getting his feet cut up the junk still hurt to walk on.

 

“Hello over there!” A familiar voice called.

 

Courage searched through the smog, trying to find the owner of the voice, and finally he caught a glimpse of an orange glow not too far off from where he was standing. He made his way through the garbage. Slowly but surely that strange, old hobo came into view. He was sitting on a pile of junk and small fire going. He had a sausage speared on a stick and was holding it over the flames.

 

“Glad to see you made it!” He said cheerfully. “Why not take a seat?”

 

Courage found the most comfortable looking spot without any garbage and sat down next to the hobo. Just _sitting_ in this place made him feel dirty. Dust rose up all around him and he coughed.

 

“Quite the preoccupation your friend has with garbage, hmm? The hobo asked. He swung the stick around toward Courage. “Sausage? He asked.

 

“No thanks...” Courage muttered, feeling slightly sick to his stomach.

 

The hobo grabbed the sausage off the stick and began to munch on it. “We've all had our lowest points. It's only natural to hit a part of your life were you just want it all to end. Your friend is no different. Unfortunately for him, he buries it and tries to pretend it doesn't exist. As you can see around you it only gets worse the more he tries to push it all away. This garbage will only continue to accumulate until he finally accepts and comes to terms with the pain he has experienced. The talk you two had in the forest almost did the trick but I fear it will take years if not the entirety of his life to truly accept the pain he has denied. He is lucky to have a friend like you now. He has someone to confide in and without that I fear his pain would have one day come crashing down on him unexpectedly. It would have very likely destroyed him and it may still do just that if you two aren't careful. It must be very comforting for him to know that he won't have to face all...” He waved a hand around. “...of this alone anymore.”

 

Courage shook his head. “I don't know about that. We argue a lot and he fights me tooth and nail whenever I try to help him.”

 

“I'm afraid that's just the byproduct of his inability to cope. He doesn't want to think about it even when it constantly torments him in the back of his mind. You dredge up those things when you prod him about these issues and he both hates you and is grateful to you for that.”

 

“Well, what was with that version of Computer I just met? It was like he didn't even know I was there. It was kind of creepy too, the way he just sort of....fell apart.”

 

“It was a shade. A strong thought, feeling, or emotion given form. They have limited awareness outside of the emotions that created them so no, it probably did not know you were there.”

 

“How am I going to find the Computer that I went into that room with if there are bunch of him running around in here?”

 

“You'll know 'em when you find him.” The hobo got up and stifled the fire. “My time is up. I've already said too much. Don't lose hope, you aren't dictated by this nightmare like he is.”

 

The quenching of the fire brought up smoke and dust. Courage covered his eyes and nearly coughed his lungs out.

 

“Wait!” He cried out. By the time he could open his eyes again the hobo was gone. Only the ashes of the fire remained. He sighed and stood back up.

 

“The things I do for love...” He grumbled. Well, it didn't exactly pertain to Computer but it still felt like the proper thing to say. If neither of them woke up he'd never see Muriel again after all...

 

…......

 

“What are you standing around looking so freaked out about?” Computer's old owner asked.

 

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He needed to think this through. He needed time to get his thoughts together. He already knew what was coming and if he wasn't in the right mind for it he'd probably never be able to stop it.

 

“Nothing.” He spoke, trying to get into character. It appeared that everything was as it should be, except for the fact that he was now a pet dog instead of a personal computer. He'd act the roll and try to live up to the way things used to be back when his friend was still alive.

 

“That's good.” His old owner said. “I haven't been having such a good day myself.”

 

“How so?” He asked. He already knew what he was going to say but it was better to ask anyway.

 

“Well, I wasn't going to tell you but it's probably better that I do. I met this weird guy while I was out this morning and he wanted to talk to me about you. He says you're a really rare breed of dog and that he'd pay a lot for you. I told him no, but...”

 

Computer interrupted him. “How much money exactly?”

 

He pressed a finger up against his chin. “Let me put it this way, I could have bought a mansion, five pools, two hundred cars....a girlfriend.”

 

A strong sense of gratitude struck Computer. Had he been offered that much money in real life too? He grabbed his leg and stared up sadly at him. “Thank you for not selling me off like that. I know how much you hate living here and...”

 

His old owner knelt down and placed a hand up against his muzzle. Normally he would have been angry to be treated like a dog but it was such an endearing gesture that he couldn't find the heart to complain.

 

“What good would a mansion and two hundred cars do me if I lost the keys to all of them? You know I'm nothing without you, pal. I know how angry it makes you when I lose everything but I'd be spending a lot more time looking for them if I didn't have you around. I really don't know where I'd be without you, pal.”

 

He smiled sadly. “You'd be losing your glasses under the couch five times a day, burning your dinner, forgetting to pay your bills, and leaving for work late everyday.”

 

“Exactly! What good would all that money do me without my grumpy, old roommate?” His expression turned to horror. “Oh no! I _did_ forget that dinner was in the oven!” He raced off into the kitchen to save supper.

 

Computer stood there, silently panicking. He couldn't let this happen! He couldn't let his owner die again! He moved into the kitchen and watched as his owner stared down at the sad remains of their dinner.

 

“At least it's still eatable...unlike last time.” His friend sighed.

 

Computer sat down at the table while his owner took a massive knife to charred husk that had once been a decent meal. He sighed at the sight of it, this had once been an everyday occurrence back when his owner was still alive. Twice he had almost burned the apartment down on accident. It was after the second time that Computer had taken a more proactive approach to making sure he remembered. If the house wasn't covered in sticky notes after that then it was usually a worthy cause to start panicking. If his sticky note regiment didn't always work he'd verbally lambast the poor fool until it did. That idiot would sometimes forget write out the sticky note as he was writing it...

 

“So yeah, about that guy.” His old owner spoke as he cut the meat. “He, er...threatened me after I said no. He said he'd make me regret it and then walked off. I made sure he didn't follow me home so I'll make sure to keep a low profile for the next couple of days. I've got an old hoodie in the closet if need to go out.”

 

“Y-yeah...that's probably a good idea.” Computer spoke, pulling himself of his nostalgic reminiscence. “I'll sleep on the couch. You know, play guard dog or whatever.”

 

“Heh, you may be a grump but you're no guard dog.”

 

“I suppose not...” He sighed, ears drooping. This time he'd be sure to wake him up in time...

 

“Oh yeah! I almost forgot to make you your coffee!”

 

His ears perked up again. “Coffee?”

 

Several minutes later he could confirm that dream coffee was as good, if not better, than real life coffee. He sipped away at it as he tried to come up with a plan. Waiting around for Him to show up just wasn't going to cut it. If He was going to break in along with a gun, he'd need to do something to counteract that. At least he had the element of surprise on his side but he wasn't quite sure how to utilize it well enough to save his owner. He doubted he could just walk into a store and pick up a gun right now. That stupid hobo talked as if he needed to walk away from this situation without so much as a second thought but he couldn't just let his owner die like this. He didn't even care about revenge, he just wanted to make sure things turned out for the better this time. It didn't matter if this was just a dream, if he could get this right just once...

 

“You doing okay?” His owner asked. “You've been awfully spaced out every since you got back.”

 

“Y-yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Listen, I think I'm going to need some money.” He finally came to a conclusion on what he wanted to do.

 

“Whadaya need the money for?” His owner asked, chewing on a bit of his charred dinner.

 

A slight but ever so sadistic smile crossed his face. “I think I'm going to need a _sledgehammer_....”

 

End Of Chapter

 


	68. The Darkest Part Of Our Heart

Chapter 68: The Darkest Part Of Our Heart

 

Courage trudged on and on. No matter how far he walked, nothing changed, nothing except for the kinds of broken, beaten out, useless bits of garbage he had to keep stepping on. He hadn't run into anything since his chat with the hobo. There was nothing but junk and smog everywhere he looked. Frustration was quickly growing inside of him as he stepped on yet another painful piece of garbage. If this was just a dream, why couldn't he conjure up a pair of shoes?

 

Giving up for a moment, he made a small clearing for himself and sat down. He rubbed his aching feet and sighed. How much longer was he going to have to keep this up? Computer could be anywhere in this endless smog.

 

Was it just him, or were things getting darker? Yes, the more he looked around the more he realized that it was getting harder to see. It wasn't just getting even more smoggy, it was getting darker and darker by the minute. Horror struck him and he jumped back up onto his feet. He'd never be able to find Computer, much less get out of here if it was pitch black! He looked around, he had no idea which way to go.

 

_**Drip...** _

 

He flinched at the sound. It was the first thing to happen in ages. Was it going to start raining in this crazy place or worse? He could probably handle a flood after dealing with a pile of garbage turning into a raging sea...

 

_**Drip...** _

 

He whirled around. Where was the coming from?

 

_**SLUUURRPP** _

 

This time he jumped. A sound like someone drinking something slimy through a straw echoed all around him. He waited for a moment and then silence returned. He was about to start walking again when...

 

“Well, hello der, pinkie.” A slick and slimy voice spoke. It was thickly accented, actually, it sounded more like someone who either didn't have a very good grasp of speaking or wasn't even really trying to sound like it did in the first place.

 

Courage whirled around again and gasped. The person who had spoken was another dog who looked just like him. It was a frightening caricature however as it's fur was pitch black and it's eyes a glowing red. It had clean, pearly white teeth, sharpened like something you'd see from a shark

 

“W-who are you?” He asked, backing away. Was this...the corruption? The thing was very obviously evil no matter which way you tried to cut it.

 

“I AM ya...actually, ya could say dat I'm everybody.” It took a step forward. It's tone was surprisingly friendly for such a slimy voice. It sounded exactly like someone who was trying to scam you or convince you to do something that was clearly bad. “I'm dat feelin' ya get when ya want to ram yer car into an idiot drivin' slowly on da road.” He drew in closer to Courage. His voice was becoming even more slick. “I'm dat feelin' ya get when ya want to drive a knife through the skull of someone who's makin' ya angry. I'm all dos repressed feelin's that everyone has. I'm da ding that everyone's too cowardly ta act on. Normally I don't exist as a single entity but dis place gives me form and a purpose.”

 

“W-what do you want from me?” Courage squeaked out. They were nose to nose now and that thing was staring directly into his eyes.

 

The dark creature pulled back, much to Courage's relief. “I'm givin' ya a chance ta turn around an' go back. Ya see, dis is my show now.”

 

“Huh? Courage asked. “Y-you're the thing that took control of me before, aren't you?”

 

“Yes sir, ya were no fun anyway. Ya see, it goes like dis. Der hasn't been anyone usin' these rings in centuries. When ya die in dis place a part of yer mind breaks, that's where I come in. Dat's my ticket into da real world. I parade around in yer brain dead carcasses until I get ya either thrown in jail...or executed. Like I said, der ain't been anyone in dees rings for centuries and I haven't had a physical form in ages.”

 

“So...so you're going to try to kill me or Computer just so you can get back into the real world?”

 

“Well, ya ain't as dumb as ya look. I was start'n to get worried.” It spoke. It's eyes narrowed with a malicious gleam. “Trust me, I wouldn't tell ya dis unless I was certain ya wouldn't be able ta stop me...”

 

Courage grit his teeth. “I'm not going to let you hurt me or Computer, you got that?”

 

“Yer friend? He'll do whatava I want em to do. Trust me...” A grin formed across it's face yet again.

 

“He's not going to start trusting a dark, red eyed monster! He'd never trust you, not even for even a second! He'd probably be even more suspicious than I am!”

 

The dark creature shrugged. “I got ya ta almost rip his arm off, didn't I? I can nudge em into whatever direction I want.”

 

He was right! Courage's eyes widened. “Oh no...”

 

The dark creature frowned. “Dis is yer last warning, pinke. Leave now while yer mind is still intact.”

 

“Where's Computer? I want to know where he is!” Courage growled. “I'm not leaving without him!”

 

The dark creature backed away. “Wrong answer, pinke...” It spoke in a low tone.

 

“Where's Computer!” Courage yelled a second time. He ran forward to grab the monster but it's form melted into a puddle of black tar and dispersed amongst the garbage. Fighting back a scream of anger, Courage stood there, completely at a loss.

 

….........

 

Apparently the dreamscape wasn't doing very much to make the world seem believable. Computer's walk down to the store was so eerie that he almost wanted to run back to the apartment and have his owner do it for him. There was not a single living being to be found anywhere. No cars drove down the roads and the world was so quiet that only Computer's own footsteps made any sound. Not even the wind would blow and break up the monotony.

 

He bought his desired sledgehammer from a particularly bored employee who did not seem to notice or care that he was the only one around. He also bought a certain kind of candy bar while he was there which he knew his owner liked. On some level he saw it as a sort of peace offering. A, 'Sorry I got you killed all those years ago!' kind of apology. It was pathetic but he really didn't care anymore.

 

The walk back home was just as quiet and just as eerie as ever. He didn't make much of an effort to keep an eye on his surroundings and he was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the person moving from one alleyway to the next behind him. He had stopped just a moment to let his arms rest after carrying that extremely heavy sledgehammer, when the person crept up behind him.

 

He realized what was going on five seconds too late. A hand wrapped around his muzzle and another pick him up. The bag with the sledgehammer fell out of his grasps and hit the ground with a clang. He struggled to free himself from his kidnapper but it was no use.

 

He already knew who was attacking him, there was no reason to even guess. If nobody else existed in this dream world then there was only one answer...

 

He suppressed a yelp when the man slammed him into the nearest wall, face first. He did it several more time until he was forced to fall still.

 

“No squirming around, little pup!” An all too familiar voice spoke.

 

He felt his heart stop. He hadn't even considered the possibility that maybe this dream wouldn't play out exactly as it had in real life. He hadn't even considered the possibility that He might attack him while he was out and about...undefended and helpless.

 

Trembling, he felt that horrible monster twist him around as if inspecting him. He couldn't even comprehend what He might do to him as a flesh creature. How long would this dream play out? How long would he have to endure whatever He had in store for him?

 

The man flung him down onto the sidewalk and grinned. “I've been looking a long time for you! If you know what's good for you, you won't try to escape!”

 

Computer was already attempting to crawl away. He didn't care if this was a dream, it still felt real. He couldn't bear the thought of being tortured by this man all over again. Things hurt as a machine but they hurt so much worse as a weak, fragile flesh creature.

 

“I said no running!” The man screamed, kicking him in the face and very nearly knocking him out cold right there.

 

He gripped his muzzle, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. His mind was screaming at him to run but he couldn't find the guts to actually do that. An even more overwhelming part of his mind was screaming, 'HE'LL MAKE IT WORSE IF YOU DO!'

 

He was kicked again, this time in the stomach. He was sent flying into the road and he lay there with his paws wrapped around his torso as he gasped for air. He thought of the sledgehammer in the bag but he had no hope of getting to it now. That horrible monster of a man was making his way over to him and he had that same awful gleam in his eyes that he always used to have whenever he was going to do something terrible. Computer knew that look all too well and he felt his insides turn to ice at the sight of it.

 

“Have you gotten the message yet, little dog?” The man asked, grabbing him by his ears and pulling him up to eye level. “You're only going to make things worse for yourself if you don't do as I say.”

 

He nodded, hoping it would finally bring an end to this spontaneous bought of torture. What he got instead was a sharp punch across the muzzle.

 

The man dropped him back down onto the ground again, this time pressing a shoe up against his back. “Don't make me break something. I'll do it if that's what's needed to be done.”

 

“I-I won't do anything, I s-swear. Please, just don't...” He stuttered out. Fear was gripping him so tightly that he was certain he was going to pass out even without His help. This was just a dream, so why did it hurt so bad? Would he have to live through his torture all over again? This time as a flesh creature instead?

 

He thought of Courage for a moment, wherever he was, but he knew deep down that not even the dog would be able to help him. He'd be beaten into submission too or simply shot on the spot if he dared to interfere. He couldn't drag Courage into this, not even for his own sake. Courage did not deserve this kind of torture.

 

“Let me go!” He yelled, some small amount of bravery, or fear of what would happen if he didn't escape, returning to him. “I-I won't let you do this to me again! I-I can't...”

 

“What did I say?” The man spoke in a deathly quiet voice. “You really are a bad learner.”

 

He dug his foot into Computer's back and he cried out. This got him another kick from the monster and he was reduced to a shaking, whimpering mess. All the awful memories, all the emotions, all the terror and fear, all the hopelessness, they were rushing back to him after they had been buried for so long. The events of the forest had almost caused exactly this to happen but not to the extremes he was experiencing now. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the next blow to strike him, but it never came. He slowly opened his eyes again and found the reason why his attacker had relented.

 

His owner, his beloved owner and friend was arguing with Him. Everything seemed so far away to Computer now, it was like he was watching the scene through a lens. Everything they were saying was too muffled to be picked up now. He'd never seen his owner look so angry before and while he was happy to know that he was trying to save him, he knew a gunshot would soon ring out through his muted ears and that would be the end of it. He closed his eyes, unable to watch. He waited and waited for the gunshot but it never came. The darkness behind his eyelids began to expand all around him and before he even knew what was happening, he slipped into unconsciousness.

 

…....

 

The darkness was ever encroaching upon Courage. He could barely see his own paws in front of his own face. He kept his eyes trained on the garbage beneath him. The last thing he wanted now was to fall through a hole just because he hadn't been watching the floor closely enough.

 

He had no idea if he'd ever be able to find Computer with things like this, but he wasn't going to give up. Whatever that dark creature was trying to do to them, he'd have to try and stop it. He knew Computer wouldn't be so easily deceived by that thing but he could still be controlled if the creature tried hard enough.

 

He gasped as everything around him went completely black. It was like a switch had been flicked off. He took a step back and tripped over a pile of garbage that he could not see. Disoriented, he got back up onto his feet and continued to walk. Terror raced through him unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He could sense _things_ moving around in the darkness and he could hear the shuffling of their feet as they moved but he could not see them no matter how hard he tried. He had no means to gauge just how close they were to him and it didn't stop his rising sense of panic. He picked up his pace and tried to run but he only succeeded in tripping over once again.

 

“Courage...” A quiet voice whispered into his ear. He gasped and got back onto his feet as fast as he could manage. He flung his paws out into the darkness but it only hit air.

 

“Courage...”

 

“Courage...”

 

“Courage...”

 

A multitude of voices were quietly chanting his name. He could hear them whispering all around him but whatever they were saying outside of his name, he couldn't pick up. He wanted to run but he was certain that he was surrounded.

 

“Euuuueeeeehhhhh...” An unearthly sound groaned.

 

He screamed and backed away. Whatever was making that sound couldn't be human. Courage couldn't even see a _zombie_ making a sound like that.

 

“COURAGE!” The voices screamed.

 

He felt a shadow rising up behind him. He couldn't stop his panic and took off running. He tripped over nearly everything that was in his path but he didn't care. He jumped right back onto his feet and kept running. That unearthly groaning was following him through the dark.

 

He tripped again and this time he felt his paw brush up against something familiar. It was a flashlight! He grabbed it and hoped to that screaming elder god upstairs that it would work. When it did flicker to life he almost wished that it hadn't. He couldn't even scream anymore from what he was seeing. He just stood there shaking, several squeaks managing to exit his trembling mouth.

 

The light from the flashlight was illuminated....h-him! His eyes were rolled up into the top of his head, his blood vessels showing as clear as day. His mouth was gaping open, exposing an endless void and from that void the unearthly sound echoed forth. A single paw was grasping out at him. He backed away, too shell shocked to do anything else.

 

Finally, the terror hit him full force. He let out a scream that shook the world around him and he took off running as fast as his paws could take him. With the light from that flashlight as his guide, he maneuvered around the things that would have been tripping him up before with ease. He could still hear his monstrous twin moaning and when he dared to flash his flashlight behind him he found that the thing was still dangerously close on his tail. He screamed even harder and continued to run as fast as his legs would take him.

 

“Cooouuurrrraaagggeeee....” The voices chanted.

 

As if he wasn't having a bad enough of a day, he saw the flashlight flicker several times and his stomach dropped in terror.

 

“No, no, no! Don't die! Don't die!” He pleaded with the object. It gave one last weak flicker as though it were trying to do as he asked....and then it died.

 

….........

 

Computer cringed as awareness returned to him, along with all the pain that it entitled. His head was throbbing viciously, actually his whole body was. He felt something cool press up against his muzzle and he opened his eyes in terror. Was it Him? Had He gotten him? It was over! He was as good as dead!

 

No...actually, it was just his owner. He was still alive, much to his relief.

 

“What happened?” He asked his friend. They were currently in the bathroom of their tiny apartment and his owner was applying ice to a particularly nasty black eye that he was now sporting.

 

“I knew you wanted to get that sledgehammer as a precaution, but don't you think you could have used it back there? I thought he might have killed you after I saw what happened.”

 

“He...ugh...jumped me.” He said, wincing. Just the act of breathing hurt now. He suspected getting kicked in the stomach might have had something to do with that...

 

“Are you going to be alright?” His friend asked.

 

“I'll...I'll live...” He sighed. He was making an effort not to make eye contact. He felt bad enough as is.

 

“That guy ran off after I lied to him about having called the cops. He seems to think that you belong to him. He talks as if he has the right to drag away without my consent. I'm glad I didn't take him up on his offer before, who knows what he might have done to you.”

 

“Y-yeah, can I go now?” Computer asked weakly. “I just want to go lay down and...rest.”

 

“Are you sure you're alright?” His owner asked. “He didn't break anything did he? You're ribs are fine?”

 

He kept his eyes trained on the floor. “Yeah...It's just a few scratches anyway.”

 

“Those are _not_ just a few scratches. Look, if you want to go lay down, just keep that ice on your eye, okay?”

 

“R-right.” Computer replied, barely even aware of what was going on. His mind was miles away in another world.

 

He jumped off the bathroom counter, made his way through the kitchen and then back into the living room. Every step hurt viciously but he eventually made it. He climbed up and then collapsed onto the couch. He lay there, shivering for several minutes, nearly overwhelmed by both the fear and memories of his time with that monster of a man. He remained that way for some time before he finally told himself to get a grip and calm down. He needed to get this head together, not break down into a whimpering mess just because of some stupid memories. He was feeling like he were about to crack, like an egg being repeatedly bashed up against a corner. It was terrible and even a little bit frightening. What would happen if he did _crack_?

 

He had half the mind to just go tell his owner that he was going to die tonight and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He knew he was just kidding himself when he actually believed that he could stop what was going to happen. He knew he was just setting himself up for another spectacular fall. He was stupid to think that he could actually make this play out any different from the real thing. He'd been getting his hopes up and he knew that they'd simply be dashed in the end.

 

He griped his pounding head and curled up into a ball. This was useless! His owner was going to be killed and he was going to get tortured by Him all over again, for who knows how long! He considered the possibility of handing himself over without a fight so that maybe He wouldn't feel the need to kill his owner this time around. Unfortunately, the thought of being in the possession of that monster again terrified him too much to actually want to go through with that. He couldn't do it....not even for his owner. The more he thought about it, the more angry he became. It was slowly but surely bubbling up into a vicious, unquenchable _rage_. He wanted Him to suffer just _once_ for all the pain he had caused. He deserved it!

 

Computer grit his teeth and dug his nails into the couch. It was His turn to suffer! He was going to make Him pay for everything he had done! He was going to be one begging for mercy for a change!

 

Yes...he'd kill him, but first he'd watch as that monster pleaded and begged for his life. He'd show him the exact same amount of mercy he had given him all those years ago. He smiled at the thought of it. How wonderful it would be!

 

“Hey, I know you aren't feeling so well. Do you want me to go get you something? Are you hungry?”

 

The vicious smile faded from his lips and he turned to look up at his owner. His friend sat down beside him and he winced as he tried to lay a hand on his back.

 

“Oh, sorry. I almost forgot you've got a bruise there too.” He laughed, sheepishly.

 

“Listen, I have something important that I need you to do for me.” He told him quietly.

 

“Shoot.” He replied.

 

“When you go to bed tonight, lock the door and don't come out for anything, alright? It's just a precaution but I don't want anything bad to happen to you if something happens tonight. I'll stay out here and keep an eye on things, just to be safe.”

 

“You're talking as if you know something bad is going to happen...”

 

“I'm just doing it for our safety. I don't know if we're actually going to be attacked tonight but I do have a bad feeling and my bad feelings are usually right.”

 

“You just got the crap beat out of you. Why don't I stay up and keep an eye on things while you sleep?”  
  


“NO!” He yelped, jumping to his feet. “I'm the dog and I'm the one who's supposed to protect my owner! I won't let anything else happen again just because of me!”

 

“Again?” His owner asked.

 

His ears dropped and he sat back down. “Let's just say that I let an old friend of mine down a long time ago and I don't want that to happen again.”

 

His owner shook his head. “Alright, but if that guy does show up again, just call the cops. I don't want you getting killed over something like this.”

 

He gave him a sad smile. “I'll do my best, but don't get yourself killed either.”

 

…......

 

Courage ran blindly through the dark. He tripped over and over again but no matter where he went, that groaning could still be heard mere inches behind him. He had to keep running no matter what. He was practically in hysterics now. He was having trouble panting for air in this smoggy place and it seemed that his voice had given out after screaming for so long. He could still hear the whispering all around him and he knew that if he stopped for even a second, that _thing_ would get him.

 

“Dis is yer last chance ta give it up, pinke.” That slick and slimy voice said. A pair of glowing, red eyes appeared next to him as he ran.

 

“You're....not....stopping...me!” He gasped out between pants for breath.

 

“Ya want dat monster ta get ya?” It asked. “I can make it go away, ya know.”

 

“I'm not... leaving Computer...here...with you!” He said breathlessly.

 

“Yer really gonna regret dis, pinkie.” The dark creature spoke. There was a sound like someone snapping their fingers and then light returned to the smoggy realm.

 

Courage whipped around in terror but his monstrous twin was gone. The whispering had stopped and everything was back to the way it had been before the lights had gone out. He collapsed into a heap and sighed with relief. It was over...for now.

 

The dark creature saddled up next to him. It regarded him with a curious but almost snide look. It seemed to be plotting something. Courage sat back up and glared at it.

 

“I'm going to find Computer and you're not going to stop me!” He yelled.

 

“Ya know, I was gonna let yer mind do my work fer me with all that whisperin' an' monster business but I got struck wit a better idea.”

 

The dark creature rose up, it's form becoming much more imposing. “Since ya won't stop bein' a thorn in my side by yer own free will, I'm gonna make ya hurt fer it. I'm gonna make ya hurt so bad dat ye'll wish ya have turned back when ya had da chance.”

 

Courage tried to back away on all fours but it was no use.

 

“I'll take ya ta yer friend but yer gonna wish I never had...” The dark creature said ominously. It pulled out a rusty old pipe from the garbage and gave Courage a gleeful grin.

 

Courage got to his feet and ran. He nearly took his own eye out when a mass of wires freed themselves from their broken electronics and grabbed his foot. He slammed into the ground and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his left eye had missed a bit of sharp metal sticking out of the ground by mere inches. His relief didn't last long however as more and more of the wires weaved their way around him, holding him into place.

 

“Ya ain't goin' nowhere, pinkie.” The dark creature said. It tapped him on the leg with the metal pipe. “I promise dis won't hurt...much.”

 

It raised the pipe into the air...

 

“No, no, no, no!” Courage yelped, before....

 

_**WHAM** _

 

End Of Chapter

 


	69. Mono No Aware

Chapter 69: Mono No Aware

 

_...Tink..._

 

_...Tink..._

 

_...Tink..._

 

Courage groaned. His head was pounding. Something was weighing down on him and it hurt a lot. He tried to move his arms but his paws were bound. His muzzle was clamped tightly shut by something cold.

 

_...Tink..._

 

_...Tink..._

 

He slowly opened his eyes and blinked the blurriness out of them. He gasped at what he was seeing. It was Computer and they were in some kind of massive garbage hole. His friend was grabbing bits of junk off the floor and throwing them aside. He must have made this hole trying to get to the bottom...

 

Courage realized why there was so much pain weighing down on him. He was quite literally apart of the wall of garbage. He was just far enough in for Computer to be unable to see him and there were two 'eye holes' just large enough for him to see what was going on. This had to be that dark creature's doing, there was no other explanation.

 

“I can't believe this!” Computer cried out. “There has to be a bottom! There has to be!” He placed a paw on the side of his head. He looked completely bewildered.“I-I knew things were bad, but I never thought...”

 

Anger flared in his eyes. Growing frustrated, he dropped to his knees and began pulling out as much garbage as his paws could hold. No matter how far he dug down, the hole only got deeper.

 

He let out a cry of anger and kicked a broken cellphone, which collided with the wall mere inches from where Courage was stuck. His friend's anger quickly subsided and the glowing dog collapsed into a heap, clutching his head.

 

“How can I possibly fix this?” He moaned. “My head is...”

 

He stood up once more and grabbed the twisted remains of a pipe. He stared at it for a very long time. “I wonder what Courage would think of me now.” His voice trembled as he spoke. “I bet he wouldn't be so eager to help me after seeing all of this.”

 

With a sigh, he let the pipe drop to the floor.

 

“Mmmph!” Courage tried to say. He wanted to make his presence known, but his mouth was just too tightly bound and his muffled cries did not carry very far.

 

Computer gave another listless sigh. “He _was_ pretty angry with me before. Now I can't help but wonder where he went.” His eyes scanned the garbage heap again. “I hope he didn't find a way out without me.”

 

So this _was_ the Computer from before. At least that meant Courage wouldn't have to deal with yet another copy. He tried to shift around under the garbage, but he was too packed in. There was no way he could get Computer's attention like this.

 

“I honestly wish that I hadn't stumbled across this place.” Computer went on. “I would have been perfectly happy thinking that my mind was just a bunch of boring doors, but this? I-” He shivered and then got back to pulling out garbage. His mindless, futile task truly had no end.

 

“Heeey!” A voice called out, nearly causing Courage's heart to stop. It was _him_! That dark creature! It was here to mess with Computer now too!

 

The glowing dog's ears perked up and he looked up toward the top of the hole. “Hey, indeed!” He called back rather indignantly. “Did you find a way out yet? You're the one who led me to this awful place to begin with!”

 

“I got bad news fer ya, buddy.” The slick and slimy voice of the dark creature said. “I know ya been looking a bit blue, well, more den normal, but I gotta break da news to ya fair and square.”

 

“What? Did something happen?” Computer asked, his expression wavering for a moment. “I'd rather not deal with any bad news right now.”

 

“Yer buddy just up and left. Said he didn't want ta deal with ya anymore. Could barely get 'em ta talk ta me long enough ta say why he was leavin'. Dumb dog was practically ravin' with anger!”

 

Computer stared up at the evil creature. He obviously wasn't buying it. “You're joking, right?” He asked, placing a paw onto his hip. “Courage wouldn't just up and leave like that. He was the one who wanted to come here in the first place. He wouldn't give up so easily.”

 

“I ain't just talking about this place, pal. He said he's done with ya too. Tired of always fight'n and arguin' with ya. He said dis 'dump' finally made 'em realize what ya really are on da inside.”

 

Computer stared. “W-what? T-that doesn't seem very likely. He wouldn't-” His entire form seemed to falter, like he were ready to collapse all over again.

 

“Face it, buddy. Yer done and he's done. It's been, what? Seven or eight years now? Dat's practically a world record for ya, given da turnover rate ya have with yer owners after all. Ya should enjoy what ya had with him, cause it's over now.”

 

The glowing dog's face began to fill with fear. “You're lying!” He cried out. “Courage wouldn't just leave! He'd never leave me behind like this! We've threatened to go our separate ways plenty of times and nothing ever came of it! He wouldn't just go without saying a word to me!”

 

“Pal, he never saw _dis_ place before. Gotta hand it to ya, ya finally managed to scare that little runt off fer good.”

 

Computer's ears drooped and he clutched his paws together. “T-there's no way...” He said in a small voice. “H-he can't have-”

 

“Face it, yer no good.” The dark creature slickly cooed. “He abandoned ya just like the rest. It was inevitable. Hope ya haven't forgotten yer promise...”

 

Computer shook his head. “He couldn't have gone! I-I need to find him! I need to talk to him! He can't be gone yet! I've _got_ to talk to him!” He raced over to one of the walls and began to climb. “I'll talk sense into that stupid twit!” He exclaimed. “He's not going anywhere, not so long as I have something to say about it! He's the reason why I'm stuck here in the first place!”

 

The wall of garbage was hopelessly unstable. He managed to make it about halfway up before something gave way and he was sent tumbling back down in an avalanche of garbage. He immediately got back up onto his feet and tried again, only to be thwarted by garbage yet again. He kept up at it for five, ten, twenty times, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't climb his way up out of the hole he had dug for himself.

 

“Sorry, pal. Dat's just da way da cookie crumbles. Did ya really think Courage would be any different from the rest? Ya set yerself up for dis fall.”

 

“Let me out!” He screamed. His attempts to escape the hole were getting more and more frantic. “I need to talk to him! I need make him see! I won't take this lying down like I did for all the rest! I'm not in some stupid metal body now! He can't just flick a switch and toss me out like the others did! I won't let him! He has to answer to me first! I won't be thrown out again!”

 

“Thrown out? Look at where ya are!” The dark creature laughed.

 

Computer's eyes took in the walls upon walls of garbage. He looked as though he had lost every last ounce of hope he might have ever once had. His eyes briefly met Courage's without even realizing it and then he looked back up at the dark creature.

 

“I-I'm not-” He tried to stammer out before bowing his head in defeat.

 

“He didn't need no dump to throw ya in! It was all here ta begin wit'!” The dark creature mirthfully laughed. “Ya really ain't gettin' the reason why he left, are ya? He finally saw things for the way 'dey really are!”

 

Computer clenched his fist and squeezed his eyes shut. “Tell him to come back! Go find him and tell him to come back! I won't stand for this! That good for nothing idiot is going to get a piece of my mind!”

 

“Ya still ain't gettin' it!” The creature snapped. “Give it up! Ya had a good run! Ya should be grateful dat he put up wit' ya fer as long as he did! It's time ta go find a new owner or....did ya forget yer promise?”

 

“Shut up! Tell him to come back!” Computer cried out, ignoring the question.

 

“He ain't comin' back!”

 

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” He spat.

 

“Ya don't _have_ anything to say about it! It's time ta give up! Ya pushed his buttons one too many times and now he's gone!”

 

Computer shook his head again, his eyes still squeezed shut. A note of despair entered his voice. “How could he just go? After everything I told him, I thought he understood! He seemed so genuine! One little trip to a garbage dump wouldn't have changed that!”

 

“Ya put too much faith in 'em. Dontcha remember da way yer other owners were? Ya set yer bar too high wit' dis one. Ya were better off keeping 'em at arms distance.”

 

He continued to shake his head. “No! You're wrong! I-I know you're wrong!”

 

“Yer da one who's wrong, pal. Look at were ya are now. Dontchya think Courage would have come back fer ya by now if he was plannin' to? Face it, yer old news. Look at all da new computers these days, ya just can't match em. Look at what all dos new phones do too. Yer outdated, last years model. Yer never gonna find an owner like Courage again. Nobody's gonna want a computer dat not even der grandma is gonna wanna touch!”

 

“Courage isn't gone!” He growled. “Tell him to come back, right now! I won't stand for this! I-I won't”

 

“He ain't comin' back!”

 

“He...he has to! I...” Fear and disbelief wracked Computer's face. Courage made another struggled attempt to escape, but it was no use.

 

Agonized by the slowly mounting revelation that the dark creature was heaping upon him, Computer dug his paws into the garbage wall and began to climb yet again. “Tell him to come back!” He cried out. His voice quavered with every word. “Please, just tell him to come back! That's all I want!”

 

Courage stared, feeling more helpless than ever as his friend continued to make more and more pathetic pleas to the dark creature. Every attempt he made to climb out of the hole only ended in failure and yet he still would not give up.

 

“Tell him to come back!” He begged, sliding down once more only to started right back up again. “He can't just go without saying so much as a word! He has to answer to me first! I deserve at least that!”

 

A twisted piece of metal broke off from the wall the moment Computer touched it and the whole thing was sent tumbling down again. He hit the ground and did not move again for several moments. Cringing, he slowly stood up again and resumed his doomed plight, disregarding the obvious outcome.

 

“Mmmmph!” Courage cried out. If only he could make his voice heard!

 

“Give it up! It's time ta stop fightin'!” The dark creature shouted.

 

“He can't just go! I don't want to be alone again!” Computer yelled. Complete and utter sorrow etched his face. “He has to come back! He can't leave me alone like this! I-I don't want to be alone!”

 

“Well, ya are! Get used ta it! Unless ya go through wit' yer promise, dis is da way life is gonna be from now on!”

 

Computer attempted to climb out of his prison one last time and when he fell once more he did not try to climb out again. He simply crumbled onto to the floor, completely defeated. Courage could only look on in utter shock as his friend's eyes welled up with tears and he began to weep.

 

“I don't want to be alone! Not again! I can't go through that again! He can't abandon me too! I-” He sobbed. “I don't want to be alone again...”

 

Courage entire body seemed to go numb as he watched Computer break down right before his very eyes. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. Not once had his friend been driven to tears like this, not by anything that had happened in the forest, not by anything that his insomnia induced paranoia had brought about, and not anything that his nightmares had done. It seemed impossible that the simple notion of being abandoned could triumph over everything else for him.

 

“Yer promise...” The dark creature coaxed.

 

Computer shook his head and slowly got back up onto his feet. He began to speak as though he were reciting a speech that he had written out inside of his head a very long time ago. “All I wanted was one owner who wouldn't get rid of me. Courage was my last chance. There will be no new owners after him. If he didn't just leave me in a junkyard to be ground down into soup cans, I wasn't going allow myself to be given to a new owner either.” He closed his eyes. “I promised that if things got bad again, I wouldn't put up with it anymore. No more waiting around for someone else to deal out my fate to me.”

 

“'Din what are we waiting fer!” The dark creature exclaimed. His tone had become outright malicious. “It's time!”

 

Courage heard something whirl through the air and hit the ground with a thunk. His heart plummeted at the sight of it. It was a small, intricate blade. Like something you'd see used in a ritual sacrifice. So this was how the dark creature was going to get itself back into the real world.

 

Computer gazed down at the knife and gave a disheartened sighed. “What a cliche way to go. I would have preferred something a little less melodramatic in the end, but I suppose it will get the job done either way.” He closed his eyes. “Although, I'm not so sure about this. I mean, I did promise, but-”

 

“Ya don't want ta be alone anymore, do ya? Well, here's da solution! I thought ya wanted ta die, hmm? What was all the beggin' ta 'Him' for? Why'd ya let yer system degrade after dat last owner gave up on ya? Ya were ready ta die and ya still are!”

 

“It's just...things have been so much better lately. I just don't see how it could have all come crashing down so quickly...”

 

“Tings change! All good tings eventually gotta come ta an end. Ya knew dis would happen and ya've been waiting for it. Now it's here.”

 

He closed his eyes again. “You're, you're right. I just thought that after all those things Courage said that maybe it wouldn't turn out this way in the end.”

 

“It was always gonna end like dis, ya knew it would. Ya always knew he was gonna abandon ya and ya actually let yerself believe dat maybe it wouldn't happen. Dey're always gonna abandon ya in the end, it's just da way tings are. Ya were dumb enough to believe that it might be differen' for once and I fergiv ya for that. We're all naïve 'sum times.”

 

Computer picked up the blade and stared at it. His own tearful expression reflected in it. “You're right. I deluded myself into thinking that things might actually turn out differently this time. How stupid I've been!“

 

“Jus get it over wit! No more hurtin', no more bein' abandoned, no more havin' to feel sorry 'bout anyting anymore! Doesn't dat sound nice?”

 

Computer smiled at the thought of it. “That does sound nice, actually. It's not like I have anywhere else to go and it's not like Courage is going to miss me much either. There's-” His expression became sullen. “nobody who's going to miss me.” He looked around at all of the garbage. “And I don't think I could ever hope to fix any of this either. Perhaps it's for the best.”

 

“Now yer finally seein' it my way! I just don't want ya to suffer anymore, pal. Don'tcha think ya've been through enough?”

 

He clenched the hilt of the blade and grit his teeth. “I-I have been through enough! Why should I have to suffer though another abandonment? Courage knew what I've gone through and he still turned tail and ran! He probably doesn't expect me to wake up again at all! He wouldn't have left me in this terrible nightmare world if he was expecting me to wake back up again! He probably knew I'd never be able to get out on my own!”

 

“Didtcha really expect any different from one of yer owners? Yer the one who's always sayin' dey're monsters.”

 

Computer squeezed his eyes shut again. “He told me that he hoped that program would tear me to pieces! He wanted things to end like this! I should have stuck with my story back there at the hotel and told him that he'd have to fend for himself from now on! It's about time that one of my owners gets to know what it's like to be abandoned themselves!”

 

“Now yer gettin' it!” The dark creature cheered.

 

Computer's ears drooped and his anger left him. “I-I was just so certain that after the forest and our little fight in the hotel that Courage was genuine in how h felt. It would have been so nice to have an owner who'd actually keep me around no matter what might happen. I guess even Nina would have tossed me out onto the street one day.” Several tears rolled down his muzzle. “I just...I just wanted to think that I really wasn't going to have to be alone anymore. Going through life without a single person on my side has been...difficult. I guess that's what I should have expected since nobody has ever seen me as anything more than a glorified calculator that just happens to talk.”

 

Courage's heart was practically pounding out of his chest. It seemed like every time Computer was about to come to his senses, another wave of fog would cloud his mind and depression would grab hold of him once more. That creature was going to convince him to, to-

 

He attempted to move again. He had to stop Computer before he went through with this. It was obvious that his friend was still struggling with the decision. He kept staring at the blade with a mixture of exhaustion, fear, sorrow, and disbelief. It was obvious that a large part of him wasn't ready to die, but unfortunately the slick words of that creature were slowly convincing those parts that he needed to do this if he didn't want to suffer anymore.

 

“Think about it. Do ya really want to go through all that again? Gettin' yer keyboard smashed for speakin' up against some vain idiot? Gettin' fried because some jerk didn't care enough not ta get ya wet? Become the pet science experiment of some self proclaimed genius all over again? Do ya really want to keep gettin' abandoned by people who don't want ta put up with ya? People who never think yer good enough? People who think dat yer just a machine dat can't feel anything?”

 

“No, no I don't.” He sighed, defeated.

 

“Ya just ain't a very good computer anymore, and ya never were a good person to begin with. Ya had something in Courage that nobody else could offer and dat was it. It was the only thing ya really had goin' for ya at all in da end. If that dog had ever gained even half a brain cell, he would have realized dat anyone can use a search engine! Hahaha!” The smokey, coughing laugh of the dark creature carried through smog. It echoed on and on....

 

“I-I suppose it was always inevitable. I just wish I could have had a little more-” He gazed up at the dark creature. “Look, if he comes back, if he comes back for any reason at all, could you...could you maybe apologize to him for me? I just want him to know that I never had any ill will toward him. I thought he knew this by now but I'm not so sure anymore. Could you maybe thank him too? I don't know if he'll care, but I just want him to know that I was always the happiest when I was helping him. I wouldn't give up the time I've spent with him for the world. It's not every day that I actually get to go out and do something different, like run around in this dog body or take a trip through my own mess of a mind.”

 

“I'll do that for ya...pal...” The creature replied in his slick tone. It was obvious that he wasn't going to say a word.

 

Computer looked down at the blade again. Tears were still brimming in his eyes. He turned away again, as though he could not stand the sight of it. Indecision stayed his hand for just a little while longer.

 

Courage couldn't stop himself from crying. He couldn't bear to watch this any longer. He struggled and struggled but he could not move at all. He was summoning every ounce of strength he had but nothing would give. He couldn't do it, he couldn't watch Computer end his own life like this. He'd rip his own arms off if he had to. He needed to tell Computer how much he cared, how grateful he was to have him around. He was as lucky to have him as a friend and companion as much as he was lucky to have Muriel. Several weeks ago he would have never even considered the possibility of being friends with Computer, but now he couldn't stand the prospect of not having that snide, stuffy machine at his side.

 

Computer considered the blade once more. Something was different about him now. He seemed less convinced that he needed to do this. Courage wasn't sure, but it appeared that the smog all around them was clearing up a little bit. It almost seemed that his desperation to stop Computer from doing this was somehow getting through to him despite neither of them having exchanged even a single word.

 

“Well? Wataya wait'n for? Are ya ready ta go or not?” The dark creature asked.

 

“No.” Computer replied, his voice filling with resolution. He stared down at the blade one last time and then tossed it away. “I've decided that I'd rather go tell Courage all those things myself. I-I want to find him. I want to hear what he really thinks from his own mouth. If he really has given up on me, I will just have to accept it, but I want to hear it from him first. If he doesn't care about what I have to say then perhaps I really was wrong about him, but until then, I'm going to put a little more faith in him first.”

 

Courage looked on through blurry eyes. So, Computer wasn't giving up on him either...

 

“WHAT?” The dark creature shrieked. “Ya gotta be kiddin' me! Yer gonna regret dis!”

 

Courage gave one last almighty tug on his bindings, and, as though they were responding to his willpower alone, they broke. He could feel his wrists bleeding slightly, but that was alright, he could now use his arms to escape his prison and he had already started digging.

 

Computer looked over to where he was. He was making enough racket to be heard halfway across the hellscape. It could not be ignored or muffled by any strange force.

 

“Huh?” He exclaimed, making his way over to the noise.

 

Courage's mouth was still tied shut by the cold wires that were biting into his muzzle. He tried to pull them off, but they tightened as if they had a mind of their own. His muzzle was bleeding now because of how hard they were digging into his skin. He ignored the pain and continued to pull at them.

 

Computer began to grab bits of garbage and remove them. Courage gave a muffled cry and hoped that he could finally hear him. It wouldn't be long now before he could escape. He tugged at the wires one last time and they finally loosened until they fell off. The force driving them deeper into his muzzle had seemingly given up.

 

“Compute!” He cried out. “Get me out of here!”

 

“Courage? Is that really you?” His friend gasped. “Were you in there the whole time?”

 

There was too much garbage on top of him to be able to get out on his own. He could only pull a few pieces out of the way, but that only helped a little bit.

 

“Don't worry! I think I'm almost there!” Computer assured him.

 

Courage could no longer see what was happening outside. He could hear the garbage being moved and he hoped that the junk on top of him wouldn't decide to give out and crush him.

 

He waited and waited...until light finally flooded into his tiny space. He leaped forward and tackled Computer to the ground, tears pouring from his eyes. He had never been so happy to see him in his entire life.

 

“Do you have any idea?” He sobbed. “Any idea how much I'd miss you if you died? Where would I be without you? Who'd call me all those stupid names and give me insane solutions to all my monster problems? Who'd help me save Muriel? Who'd....who'd...” He steadily devolved into his gibberish dog speak. His words were so slurred that he wasn't even sure if Computer could understand it. He didn't care though, he just wanted to keep babbling until he finally got it through Computer's thick skull just how much he cared.

 

“Don't you get it?” He continued. “That, that _thing_ was trying to get you to do what it wanted!” He pointed up at the place where the dark creature would have been had it not fled the scene. “It almost succeeded!” He screamed. “How could you almost-”

 

He gasped as he felt Computer wrap his arms around him and pull him into a hug “I'm still here, aren't I?” He asked. He then let go of him and a soft, yet sad, smile spread out across his face. “I'm so glad you didn't leave me here. I was so certain that you had gone and abandoned me too.” He shut his eyes, his voice becoming strained. “I mean, I've been tossed away so many times now...” He opened his glowing eyes again and they were filled with tears. He continued to smile as though it could somehow banish his true feelings.

 

Now it was Courage's turn to hug him. He was certain that he was almost suffocating him, but that didn't matter. He just wanted him to know how much he cared. “You're never, ever going to have to be alone again, okay? You'll always have a place with me and nothing is ever going to change that.”

 

“Courage...”

 

“When this is all over with and everything finally goes back to normal, I promise that you won't be neglected again. You won't have to be so bored that you've gotta stare at cats and stupid videos all day just to keep yourself happy.”

 

“Come on, Courage. You've never neglected me.” He gently assured him. “Well, except for maybe that time when you threw me out the window, but I was kind of asking for it then. I _did_ make a pretty bad joke after all.” He laughed.

 

“But I have been neglecting you!” He exclaimed. “I promise I'll start treating you like a proper computer from now on! I'll even fix you up! I don't care if I've gotta take you apart and replace every last bit of hardware myself! I'm going to start treating you properly from now on!”

 

“A-a tune up? That _would_ be nice.” He looked genuinely taken aback by Courage's promise. “Nobody's ever taken the time to do even a little bit of maintenance on me. I've got so much dust clogging up my fan that I-”

 

Courage gave him a quick nuzzle. “I'll take care of it, I promise.”

 

Computer looked far happier than Courage had ever seen him before. He nodded and then said, “Thank you, Courage. It'll be nice if I can at least pretend to be a halfway decent computer again. It'll be nice to replace some of those failing hardware parts too.”

 

“You don't have to thank me. It's what friends do. Look, even if we don't find that wellspring, I'll still have some time left. If we can't find a way to save me, I'll make sure that things are better off for you before the end. You won't have to end up with someone you hate. I mean, you've even got a friend like Nina now!”

 

“Don't ever talk like that!” He scolded him. “You're going to make it! Even if that wellspring doesn't exist there will still be enough time to find something else! I won't let you die, that is my promise to you. Besides, I don't want another owner and I certainly don't want to have to replace a dear friend.”

 

Courage laughed. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that you'd one day call me a dear friend.”

 

Computer smiled again. This time it was without even a hint of sadness. “Neither did I.”

 

Courage grinned and pulled him into another hug. “Love you, Compute.” He muttered, not expecting even the slightest reply from his friend.

 

“Love you too, twit.”

 

For a moment he wasn't actually sure he had heard what he thought he had just heard. He was certain his ears couldn't even comprehend it. He must have looked completely flabbergasted because Computer was practically doubling over with laughter.

 

“Now _that_ was the sort of reaction I was hoping to get! Oh how I wish I had a camera right now!” He laughed before finally reaching a paw out to him. “Family?” He asked.

 

Courage shook his head out of his stupor, and, without a hint of reluctance, grabbed his paw. “Family!”

 

“Till the end? No matter when that might be?”

 

He nodded. “Till the very end.”

 

End of Chapter

 

 

 


End file.
